Tears of an Angel
by Sanishou
Summary: Kratos knew that Mithos was hovering on the brink, but he didn't know the lengths that the blond would go to keep his 'friends' in check. Kratos also knows he needs to get out, but what awaits the Seraph on the journey he's about to undertake?
1. New Angel and an Old Friend

**Hello, Sanishou here. I have made some major adjustments to this story, I took several parts that were too condensed and expanded them a bit. I apologize for the long wait, as Life has gotten in the way. But I am back now and working hard to get this updated and re-posted. Chapter 4 is in the works as well. **

"Blah" - Talking

'Blah' - thinking

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kratos (sadly lol) or anything to do with Tales of Symphonia. Just the plot of this story.

**Let the Story begin!**

* * *

The sound of hurried footsteps echoes through the empty hallway of one of the buildings of Welgaia, as a young woman makes her way toward the closed doors at the hallway's end. She is Krystina Ukishira, a Seraph, or Seraphim, one of the high Angels. There are four other Seraphs, well almost four; one has not yet completed his angel transformation. Krystina, however, was not made a Seraph, she was born one. She pushes open one of the double doors, revealing a bed on which an auburn haired man lays. She hurries to his side, sitting on the edge of the bed,

"Kratos.." she says softly, brushing hair out of his eyes. The man cries out softly, his soft reddish brown eyes flicking open as he grimaces in pain. The angel transformation is painful, but Kratos is handling it badly, and she's worried the Aionis he'd ingested has something to do with it as well as his human body.

"Tina.." he whispers, grasping her hand in his trembling one. She frowns as his body lifts off the bed with a spasm of pain, and he cries out. She tries her best to comfort him and help get him to relax as much as possible. She pulls his trembling frame into her arms, and he burrows his nose into the crook of her neck, looking for comfort from the pain tearing through his body. They are very close friends, have been for almost a decade, since Kratos was eighteen, and she was at the age of seventeen. She had escaped to the worlds, wanting to get away from the confines her life as a Seraph brought, and she met Kratos and his three companions, Yuan Ka-Fai, and also an interesting pair of siblings, Mithos and Martel Yggdrasill. Kratos is human, and the other three are all half-elves, well they were before their transformations.

"Tiny? How is he?" a voice asks, and Krys looks up, seeing Yuan in the doorway. She lets a scowl grace her lips at their old nickname for her, then she frowns again,

"Not well, it's going very rough for him." Yuan sighs, wincing as Kratos cries out as a new spasm of pain wracks his body. Krys frowns, green eyes full of worry. Yuan settles in a chair near the window, deciding to stay a while. Krys begins to softly chant, a spell circle forming around her feet, as she closes her eyes to concentrate, using an angel healing spell she created to try and soothe the pain tormenting Kratos. His angel transformation is also happening all at once, not in parts as it'd done for the others.

A few hours later, Kratos is sleeping fitfully, and Yuan and Krys are talking quietly, Mithos had recently stopped in to check on Kratos as well. Suddenly, Kratos' body bucks off her lap, as a pained cry escapes his lips, his eyes clenched tightly. Krys maneuvers Kratos in her arms so there is nothing obstructing his back. She and Yuan can tell by the way his body is arching with each of the painful spasms that his wings will soon emerge. Kratos' back soon arches yet again, as a soft glow surrounds Kratos, and translucent, sapphire blue wings burst from his back, fluttering lightly as if a breeze was touching them.

"Kratos, look." Krys says softly, and the auburn haired man lifts his head weakly, looking over his shoulder, gasping at the sight of his wings. Krys and Yuan smile a bit, and Krys again uses her healing spell to soothe some of the pain, and then Kratos soon passes out due to the total sheer exhaustion his body has suffered due to the transformation. Yuan and Krys make sure he's fine in bed, and then they head from the room to tell Mithos and Martel.

"Mithos, his transformation is now complete; he passed out from total body exhaustion in mere seconds after his wings emerged." Krys says softly, and Mithos nods.

* * *

A few days later, finds Kratos fully rested and adjusting well, and the five Seraphs are getting ready to head to one of the training rooms, all of them agreeing to help Kratos adjust to his new wings. Kratos comes up behind Krys as they wait for Mithos to activate the warp pad, watching her as she stretches, and then she releases her wings, a colored in a mix of deep purples and blues and hints of green, she had never shown them to him before. His eyes widen some, and then he smiles,

"Pretty.." he says, and she startles, then blushes. She opens and closes them a couple of times, stretching them, and watching as Mithos, Martel and Yuan release their wings as well. She smiles at Kratos.

"Your turn." And he nods, chuckling a little as he releases his sapphire wings, opening up and closing them a few times as Krys did. Mithos activates the warp panel that leads to the room they'll be training in, and they step on the pad one by one, disappearing. They arrive in the wide open training room, which almost looks like a space outside, and Yuan sets down the bag he was carrying, having brought some weapons with him. Martel, being mainly a healer, settles down on the grass to watch, while Mithos pairs with Kratos, and Krys pairs with Yuan, Martel agreeing she will 'referee' their sparring matches. They always tend to spar together a bit to warm up for their training.

"Come on Sensei!" Mithos calls happily as he takes off into the air, Krys and Yuan smirk a bit, watching Kratos stretch his wings, and then lift into the air after his student, they notice that he remembers the pointers they gave him about flying and is managing to stay on a very straight course, getting the hang of it fairly quickly.

"Wow, you're good Sensei!" Mithos cheers, watching him fly around a moment, and then he draws his sword, waiting for Kratos to get ready. Krys also draws her sword, facing Yuan and waiting for him to summon his Swallow blade. She smiles as he does, and they race toward each other, weapons clashing. Kratos watches Mithos a moment, and then student and teacher meet in a clash of swords, Martel watching intently. Mithos grins, beating his wings strongly to keep in the air steadily, parrying Kratos' sword with growing skill, the mercenary has been teaching him the ways of the sword for a little while now. Krys sometimes helps too, but she and Yuan are also often sparring themselves as well.

"Ha! I've got you now! _Crimson Gale!_" Krystina cries, firing an arrow surrounded in a red glow toward Yuan. He smirks and dodges it, and a fiery wind surrounds the arrow as it impacts on the ground where he had been standing.

"Impressive, Krys. Is that one new?" Kratos asks, and Krys blushes and nods, noting that he's waiting for Mithos who's having a sprained wrist healed by Martel.

"I've been working on it a little while now." She says, putting her bow over her shoulder as she smirks, leaning against Yuan's arm a bit. He smirks too and pokes her in the side.

"Aiiee!" she yelps in surprise, then smirks, tackling him onto the grass. She laughs as the young blond soon runs over, pouncing on Yuan as well, starting to playfully wrestle with him. Krys laughs and steps back, standing with Kratos as they watch the two horsing around. Martel's eyes shine with laughter too as she watches her brother and fiancé tussling on the grass, both of them laughing.

"Alright you two, time to get back at it." Krys says with a smirk, trying not to giggle at the pouts the two half-elves are giving her. Martel laughs too, shaking her head in amusement at them, and they soon get up, Yuan giving Martel a kiss, then they come back over to where Krys and Kratos are. Krys smiles too, she knows how in love Martel and Yuan are, and how happy the two are together. When Mithos and Yuan return, the four Seraphs take to the air again, continuing their spar.

By the afternoon, Kratos has nearly perfected flying and flying and fighting together, and quite enjoys it as well. They're currently on their way back to the castle, wanting to settle down and relax after the day, and also talking about a trip down to the worlds to spend a day just out in the fresh air and relaxing, the five of them spending the day together.

* * *

A few days later the friends have decided to make their trip, and Martel and Krys are out in the kitchen packing a picnic. Seraphs don't really need to eat, but it is nice from time to time in moderation. They pack a few of each of the guys' favorite snacks and drinks, and Krys laughs as Martel grins and stashes a tomato in with Kratos' sandwiches. Martel smirks,

"Should be good when he finds that." And Krys laughs and nods, knowing their friend's abhorrence to the round, red fruits. They finish and head out into one of the halls, calling for the guys to join them, Krys carrying the basket. She startles as someone takes it from her, and then smiles when she sees it's Kratos.

"Thank you." She says softly, and he nods and smiles, offering her his arm as they make their way to the Tower's warp area. Mithos programs their destination, and they head on down to the surface. They decide to head through a forest, wanting to just relax and to enjoy some of the scenery. They head northward somewhat, just enjoying each other's company, while Yuan cracks the odd jokes, his arm wrapped around Martel's waist. The two of them are engaged to soon be married and are a very happy couple. Mithos has said never would Martel find a better man than Yuan.

After walking a couple hours or more, they settle down for a break, the two women both kneel down and start unpacking the picnic after Kratos and Yuan spread out the blanket for them on the grass. The five of them settle down, though Mithos soon gets up to explore the area some as the others watch. There's much more to explore out here than there is in Welgaia. Martel rests back against Yuan, closing her eyes a bit as she enjoys the warmth of the sun and the soft breeze that's blowing through. Krys finds herself resting against Kratos as well, his arm around her waist as he leans his cheek against her head. Martel catches them and smiles, making both of them blush. Martel laughs, she has often teased them both of liking each other, which always makes them blush each and every time. Mithos soon comes back, and they smile when they see he has an armful of apples and peaches he had found.

"They look delicious, Mithos." Martel says with a smile, ruffling his blond hair. He smiles too and sits down with them, gently tumbling the fruit onto the blanket. He settles down beside Martel, leaning into her other side and biting into an apple. She smiles and wraps her other arm around him. They stay there on the blanket for a while, talking and snacking. And Martel laughs as Kratos reaches for his sandwiches and pulls out the tomato. He pulls a face and tosses the red fruit away, making the others laugh as well as he grumbles.

"It IS just a fruit, you know." Krys says with a smirk, and Kratos gives her a pout, which she giggles at and ruffles his auburn spikes. He soon smirks too, relaxing again and biting into an egg salad sandwich. She smiles too, settling back as well.

Yuan soon spots something as he gazes into the trees, and he gets up, telling them he'll be right back, and heads into the trees for a moment, saying he wants to do something, Martel's lips curve into a smile as she watches him go, knowing he's always up to one thing or another. A smile on her own lips, Krys watches him walk to a patch of wildflowers he had spotted a little bit into the trees. Kratos soon lays back on the blanket, hands behind his head, and Mithos begins to nod off a bit against his sister as well, and Krys and Martel continue to talk a bit.

Not long after, Martel now laying beside Mithos, both siblings asleep, and Krys settled on the blanket beside Kratos, watching the clouds beside the dozing Seraph, Yuan still off in the tree line getting flowers, when suddenly the air is filled with shouting. The four Seraphs bolt up quick, hands moving to their weapons as they glance around, looking for the source. Martel also glances around nervously for Yuan, as he isn't back yet. Krys, Kratos and Mithos focus on the Mana signatures they feel coming closer, finding them faint, meaning humans, and several of them too. They surround the four Seraphs in a large circle, Yuan now running toward them from the woods, a bouquet of flowers still clutched in one hand. Kratos and Krys both draw their swords, and Mithos moves closer to Martel, wanting to protect his sister. Yuan keeps running, his eyes on Martel, but some of the humans block him, cutting him off. Mithos, Yuan and Kratos now begin to argue with some of them, when suddenly all hell breaks loose.

One man lets loose what sounds like a war cry, and then an arrow whizzes through the air, and as they watch in shock, it pierces Martel's heart, and she collapses to the grass. Mithos yells out in anger, which brings Yuan out of his daze, and he drops beside Martel, the flowers all scattering on the ground as they drop from his hand, and lifting her into his arms as surprisingly in the eyes of an angel, tears start down his cheeks.

The offender emerges from the trees, and they recognize him as the man who wanted to control the world's mana before Mithos had split apart both worlds with the Eternal Sword weeks ago. He soon vanishes, having been chased by Mithos and Kratos, Krys trying to protect Yuan and Martel. Kratos and Mithos soon return, and they hurry to get Martel to Welgaia to get her the care she needs, but sadly, by the time they arrive, it's become too late, and Martel fades away in Yuan's arms. Mithos and Yuan are devastated. Kratos goes to oversee preparations for her funeral, and Krys kneels down with Mithos and Yuan, gently wrapping an arm around each of the two distraught half-elves. They both turn into her shoulders, their emotions overpowering them as they sob for Martel. Krys chews her lip, her heart breaking for her friends, as well as for Martel too, a dear friend to them all. She stays with them, comforting them as best as she can, though tears escape her own eyes as well.

Kratos soon returns, and he and Krys lead Mithos and Yuan to her room, deciding that in the circumstances, they want to stay together, taking comfort from each other's presence. Mithos settles beside Kratos, leaning his head against his teacher's arm as he sniffles, and Yuan curls up at Krys' side, his head on her shoulder, her arm around him and rubbing his side comfortingly. He sighs sadly, looking down at his hands. They stay together like that for the next few days, any of them only leaving to take care of needs, then returning right after, until the day of her service, as they arrive in Welgaia's great hall, angels bearing a beautiful casket that holds Martel, looking as if she's merely sleeping. Krys wraps an arm around Yuan as he lets out a quiet sob, and Kratos lays a hand on Mithos' shoulder, giving him encouragement, and then he goes up to speak. They all take turns to speak for Martel, saying their goodbyes to her, the angels all bowing in respect as her casket is carried out afterwards. Mithos leads the angels bearing it to a room where rests the great seed of the Kharlan tree, which rests in dormancy. He sits on the floor, gazing up at the seed as Martel's casket is brought to rest beneath it.

"I'm worried about Mithos." Krys says softly as she and Kratos lead Yuan back to her room, and Kratos nods.

"I know, I am as well." He says, sighing a bit as they settle on the bed, Yuan sniffling as he curls back up beside Krys. Kratos settles at her other side, letting his head rest down onto her shoulder. She wraps her other arm around him, rubbing his side a bit.

* * *

A few days later, Mithos has barely come out of the great seed room where both it and Martel's body rest, and little do they know he's been thinking, a lot. Overcome with grief, and his determination to find a way to someday bring her back, he's decided that the best thing there is to do, is to fuse her to the Great Seed to preserve her, and to set up a type of 'Chosen of Mana' system, to prepare a new vessel for her soul to reside in, that way he would be able to revive her and have her back. Kratos, Yuan and Krys though are wary of his plan, Yuan just wants to lay her to rest and work through his grief, not wanting to cause or risk any unnecessary grief or pain to himself or others.

As the days pass, Mithos becomes more and more obsessed, and Kratos, Yuan, and Krys are all becoming increasingly wary of him. Yuan is actually almost avoiding him, as it hurts him a great deal to think of Martel not allowed her eternal rest. Kratos and Krys try to be there for both their friends, but feel torn. They do their best to be there for Yuan, but are nearly waking around on eggshells now around Mithos, as the tiniest things seem to set him off. Kratos and Krys have also been getting closer as well, supporting each other through this hard time as well as trying to be there for their friends as best they can.

Mithos though, seems to be getting jealous of how much time Kratos and Krys spend together, whether it's just alone or with Yuan. They're almost inseparably close friends, and now Mithos is becoming almost afraid that Krys will take Kratos away from him. He often comes up to one or the other and gives them tasks, often ones that last for days or more down on one of the worlds, trying to keep them apart, but it seems that no matter how much he tries, they always end up back together again once one or the other returns from said tasks.

* * *

Around two months after Martel's death, Mithos, consumed by his grief over Martel, and his hatred and jealousy of the close friendship between Kratos and Krystina, soon summons the woman Seraph to his chamber one day. She tells Kratos and Yuan she'll be back soon, and sets down her book, they had been reading in the library. Krys is nervous as she heads from the large library, but she heads to Mithos' inner castle of Vinheim anyway, trying to ignore all her nagging apprehensions about going, and also wondering if there is anything that she can do to help her friends get through the tough times. When she comes into the room she had been summoned to, the doors are suddenly shut and sealed behind her, and she turns, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Mithos? What is going on, what are you doing?" she asks, and the blond stands from his chair, walking closer to her, his large, pale pink and purple tinged wings fluttering behind him as he stops in front of her, his green eyes narrowing a bit as he says,

"Krystina. Kratos has become too close to you, I cannot allow this to continue as I refuse to lose another." She gasps, her eyes widening as he moves backwards, starting to charge up a spell, and she goes to defend herself, when suddenly Mithos holds out his hand, and sends a huge burst of white light in her direction. Too stunned to move out of it's path, it impacts, and she collapses to the floor, an empty expression on her pale features, green eyes closed. Mithos lifts her up, and he disappears deeper into his castle, Vinheim, and into a large room. He lays her on the plain white bed, she's placed a bit on her side and a bit on her back, then he seals up her wings inside her with a spell, and then he places a powerful sealing spell around her and the bed, walking back to the doorway. He watches her for a moment, and then shuts the large doors, and places another sealing spell on them after he locks them, and then he leaves. Kratos and Yuan are still in the library when he finds them later, and wearing a sad expression, he says,

"I'm afraid I just received word, Krystina has abandoned us all, she cannot be found anywhere within Welgaia or Derris-Kharlan, and as she left she was heard to have said that she wishes us to fall." Kratos pales and drops the book he was reading, his hands trembling, and Yuan's emerald eyes widen.

"Impossible." He says, shocked, but Kratos is silent, trying to process what he heard.

_'she wouldn't do that, she wouldn't abandon us, abandon me..'_ he sighs quietly, letting in a silent breath, placing his book on the table, then walking out of the library, heading to his room as he feels tears sting his eyes, unable to understand why she would up and leave. With Mithos spending so much time in the seed room with Martel, she had become his and Yuan's pillar, their strength in their time of despair, and now it's gone, she's gone, and it hurts him more than he had ever thought it would have. Yuan frowns at Mithos, and soon gets up to head after his auburn haired friend, wanting to make sure he's okay. Mithos watches him go, shaking his head a bit, and then soon returns to the seed room.

* * *

Over the next several weeks, things become worse. Yuan sinks into worse depression, as does Kratos, not having their strength and comfort any more, and not only that, both men are becoming numb, robotic, almost unfeeling, as if their humanity is slowly disappearing as the days go by. Mithos is becoming the same as well, but his obsession with reviving Martel is becoming worse, and more and more of a possession. It seems to be creating an alternate and rather sadistic and violent personality within Mithos, who Kratos and Yuan have now dubbed "Yggdrasill" in secret. They've seen him harshly punish angels for even small mistakes, and have now taken to avoiding their friend, who now calls himself their leader, not wanting to be harshly punished as well.

The two Seraphs have become even more uneasy and almost afraid of how the once gentle Mithos has become so obsessed. They never thought he would become this desperate to have his sister back, that he would go to such lengths to do so, and to create even a new race, which he believes will rid the worlds of discrimination. Not realizing, or maybe not even noticing that he's twisted his sisters final wish for a world free of hatred and discrimination.

Also, they continue to search secretly for Krystina, refusing to believe she would willingly abandon them, and not even giving any thought of the fact she may still be on Derris-Kharlan at all even occurring to them.

Mithos soon brings together an organization he calls Cruxis, declaring himself the leader of it, intent, obsessed even on creating a perfect vessel to be the new host to hold Martel's soul. Not even considering the fact that it might not work, too bent on reviving her.

* * *

As the first years start to get underway, Yggdrasill expands Cruxis into a rather huge and powerful organization, headed by the 'Church of Martel' and he also finishes the final details this chosen project needs. Setting it up that selective people will be married to create specific children or "Chosens" in an attempt to create a perfect match to Martel's mana signature.

In both worlds the system begins, the Church of Martel arranging precise marriages to create perfect hosts, who will embark on a special Journey of Restoration, ending at the Tower of Salvation, where the host will become an angel, and then that Vessel will be brought to Derris-Kharlan to have Martel's soul placed inside if the match is perfect, and if not the vessel is merely disposed of on Mithos' wishes. Kratos is instructed into continuing his former work as a traveling Mercenary, to aid each Chosen on his or her journey to the tower, and then finally in to Derris-Kharlan, escorted there by Kratos.

Unfortunately for Mithos, Chosen after Chosen, whether they're from either Sylvarant or Tethe'alla, continue to fail, bearing not even a close enough mana signature to Martel, each fails one by one to become the perfect vessel, and that angers Yggdrasill more and more with each of them that fails and is disposed of. While unknown to him, his once closest friends begin to pull away from him, while continuing their search for their lost friend, Krystina.

* * *

**Well there it is, I hope it's way better than before. Please review and tell me what you think of it?**

**Sani.**


	2. Yuan's Promise Fulfilled

**Hello again! Revamped chapter 2 is here! I put a lot of work into making this better, so I really hope you enjoy it. :)**

**I expanded a few things and hopefully the new detail makes it flow much better than before, for those who remember, and new readers I hope you like it. Thanks to those that reviewed, I love the feedback I get for my writing. It helps me to improve.**

"Blah" - Talking

'Blah' - Thinking

**Disclaimer:** Once again I do not Own Symphonia or its characters. Just my plots and my Oc. Sad but True. Lol

* * *

**Almost Four Thousand Years Later.**

Kratos Aurion looks around as he arrives at the Asgard Human Ranch. He misses Krystina dearly, and he doesn't want to give up his and Yuan's search for her, which they have continued until now, and still haven't yet given up either. He wants to keep looking for her, but he's grown tired of Yggdrasill and his now severe, total obsession. Yuan had fled the castle a while ago also, but he had sworn to Kratos that he neither would give up their search for their friend.

Kratos had descended down to Sylvarant to escape, but had unfortunately ended up near one of four established Human Ranches. He looks at the large structure in disgust, sighing and shaking his head, everything is going too far out of control, Mithos is out of control. This ranch, and three others are all run by high ranking half-elves, or 'Grand Cardinals' as Mithos has named them, are spread across Sylvarant and have been designed and constructed solely to create what are called exspheres, using human bodies as a host to grow each of the small gems.

Kratos recalls when Yggdrasill had first come to him with the idea of placing half-elves in charge of these ranches and calling them 'Desians.' It was Yggdrasill's hatred for humans that spread through the Desians and allowed them to view humans as 'inferior beings'. Kratos shakes his head sadly. The Mithos he knew is gone, consumed by the harsh, violent and unforgiving man that is Yggdrasill. All of it, the ranches, the Desians and the exspheres are all part of Yggdrasill's plans to create what he now calls an "Age of Lifeless Beings"; to stop discrimination of half-elves. Yggdrasill was, and still is, doing it for his deceased sister, Martel, and her dying wish for a world free of discrimination.

Kratos steps into some bushes by one of the fences, so that none of the guards will spot him and go report him to Yggdrasill, and he watches a line of several workers moving through a yard where they are walking in line, one of the aforementioned Grand Cardinals watching them. The people in the ranch are not one age, they vary from fairly young children, to adults, and even to elderly people as well. The Desians have no mercy for any age whatsoever. Kratos sighs as he watches the long line, and sighs a bit, watching the people walking with their heads down, broken now by daily beatings by their guards and many hours of hard labor.

"Inferior being! Move!" a voice yells, and a woman with long, chocolate brown hair lets a sigh escape her lips as she stumbles, catching her breath as a sharp sting of a whip connects with her back, and then regains her balance in the line. The Cardinal who leads this ranch, Kvar, watches as they move. Anna Irving sighs, glancing at the sapphire stone embedded on her hand sadly. Her gem is different than the others, and she sighs, afraid to know why.

'_I want to go home.'_ She sighs quietly again, a tear slipping from one brown eye, both of which remain riveted on the hard ground as she continues to plod along with the rest of the line, knowing better than to make eye contact with any of the many Desian guards, and especially not the Grand Cardinal. She flinches when she hears her number suddenly called.

"A012, over here!" Kvar says, and two Desians grab her roughly, leading her over to him. She continues to stare at the ground, and he lets a harsh chuckle out as he examines the stone.

"Very good, Yggdrasill will be pleased." He says in a sickeningly soft voice, which she can hear the underlying disgust aimed at her. He holds her hand up to the bright sunlight for a single moment, looking at the blue stone, then drops it roughly, almost as if he's flinging her hand away from himself. She chews her lip, but then nods meekly and returns to the line. Moving closer now to hide behind a stack of heavy crates and concealing his mana signature as tightly as he can get it to avoid detection, Kratos' eyes widen in surprise.

_'She's the Angelus Project?'_ he gasps, stunned. And then he decides right then that he is going to free her, he decides that he will not let Yggdrasill have her, he will not let the insane half-elf get away with taking away yet another person. He's done enough damage to the worlds now as it is. Everything is a mess that needs to be fixed.

The next day when he gets up, he goes over his plan quickly, stroking the fur of the big green and white protozoan lying beside him on the grass.

"Whiinneeee!" Noishe says, almost in an insistent tone. Kratos sighs a bit, gently rubbing the soft fur. He had met Noishe after descending and the protozoan had taken to him surprisingly quickly. He says,

"You agree with me, my friend?" and Noishe whines again, wagging his tail a bit, and he then gets up, shoving his cold nose into the mercenary's hand. Kratos smiles slightly and tosses him a piece of meat, which the animal eats happily. Kratos sighs, steeling himself for what he's going to do. When Noishe is done eating, Kratos makes his way back to the ranch, the protozoan following quietly, seeming to know silence is important.

He takes a breath, and approaches the gates of the ranch, reaching into a pocket of his uniform and pulling out an identification card that Yggdrasill had ordered him to carry, pretending that he's under Yggdrasill's orders to come and supervise some of the production for the day. He adjusts the straps a bit on the arm of his Cruxis uniform as he follows a guard around the ranch for a bit to act the part, nodding at explanations and production numbers he's shown. He makes his way into the rear yard later on, where some of the higher risk prisoners are kept, his garnet eyes searching around. When he sees Anna, he makes his way along the electrified fence, careful that he doesn't touch it, to where she sits on the grass, nibbling quietly at a sandwich, he watches her a moment, then swallows a bit.

"Anna," he then whispers, which startles her, making her drop the sandwich in surprise and scoot backwards a bit, but she manages not to cry out. He says softly,

"Act normal, alright? I'm getting you out of here." Her eyes widen,

_'He's helping me? But why? Why does he care about me?'_ she wonders, confused that he would want to, but then she nods, noting that for a weird reason she can't explain, something is telling her to trust this man. Kratos himself isn't entirely sure why he wants to help her either, as he only knows that he doesn't want to see her be taken away like Krystina was. But also, there's a reason unknown to him that he's drawn to this woman.

Kratos draws his sword, easily slicing into the wire and creating an opening. Anna crawls through it, and he follows, then mutters a soft spell that repairs the wire, making it appear as if the wire had never been touched, that none of his cutting ever took place. Kratos lifts Anna into his arms, and disappears into the woods. She rests her head against his shoulder as he runs quickly, her touch sending shivers up his spine. She also notices a large green and white animal soon join them, running alongside them. He unconsciously tightens his arms around her, running at nearly a blinding speed until they reach a place he decides is safe to stop for rest after looking around it and extending his senses.

The next morning when Kratos wakes up, he's a bit surprised to discover that he has his left arm wrapped tightly around Anna's waist, holding her against his body as she sleeps, her hair hiding her face, and her slim body curled into his taller one. He blushes, wondering at when that had happened.

* * *

**About a year or so later.**

Yuan is now heading an organization he created to oppose Cruxis, having finally had just about enough of Yggdrasill's obsessed ways, same as Kratos, which he calls the _Renegades_, who he often disguises as Desians so he can infiltrate ranches and other facilities to spy and keep tabs on their actions and movements, not trusting most of what Mithos tells him any more. He too has never given up the search for Krystina either, and is currently over in Vinheim, searching for her. In all of the years since she disappeared, Mithos has refused to talk about her at all, and any time Yuan or Kratos ask him anything about it he changes the subject, and because of it, lately Yuan has begun to suspect the blond knows more than he's letting on.

With a sigh, he heads down yet another dark hallway, and finds himself in front of a pair of large, ornate wooden doors. But what he finds unusual, that these large doors are pulsing with an unusually strong amount of mana, almost a massive amount, enough that the wood seems to almost shimmer with it. He hesitantly touches the surface of one of them, and recoils with a hiss when the mana singes his glove. He studies them for a moment, and then starts to chant a spell he thinks may be a counter measure to cancel out the mana on the doors. He keeps chanting the spell, and the mana surrounding the doors begins to flicker. By the time it finally dissipates, he's worn out, but relieved. He touches one of the doors again, and when his glove remains unsigned he pushes one of the doors open, and his green eyes widen as lights flood the darkened room. Lying on the bed, looking as if she's merely sleeping, is Krystina, surrounded by powerful mana, that's bearing Yggdrasill's signature. He approaches the bed, he's both relieved to have found her and also both angry and in shock that Yggdrasill would even do something like this.

"My goddess.." Yuan whispers, frowning as he examines the spell surrounding her, green eyes narrowing when he detects the spell pattern, it's complicated and powerful. He then starts to chant another spell, hoping to counteract it as he did with the one that had been barring shut the doors. It takes some work and a fair bit of energy, but he finally succeeds in breaking it open so to speak. He sits on the edge of the bed for a moment to catch his breath, undoing two heavy spells is tiring. After a moment's rest, he lifts her into his arms, and warps out of Vinheim off to his Sylvarant base after re-sealing the doors with a spell that mimics the one Mithos had used to the best of his abilities. When he arrives at the base, he places her in a room near his own with a guard at the door, wanting her kept safe until she wakes up from her slumber.

Yuan then heads to his office, slumping into the chair behind the desk, and dropping his head onto his arms, wondering if he should tell Kratos about finding her yet. He knows that it will be a matter of time before Kratos and Anna visit again, and how much Kratos misses Krystina. On another side though, he doesn't want to come between his love with Anna. The last time the two of them had visited Yuan's base, they had shocked the hell out of him when they had announced their engagement, and Kratos had asked of Yuan an important request, to be his best man at the wedding.

A few days later at the base, Yuan heads down the hall, pausing for a moment, and then opens the door to the room where Krystina has been, and is rather shocked to see she's awake and sitting up. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness since the night before, and he didn't think she'd be fully awake for another couple of days. Krys blinks her green eyes, looking around, confused, and when she sees Yuan, her eyes widen and she backs up a bit, an unusually nervous and somewhat fearful look in her eyes. Yuan frowns,

"Krystina, it's me, Yuan." She frowns, chewing her lip and trying to remember, his voice is familiar, but she is unable to remember his face and looks down as her eyes burn with tears as she wonders what happened, clutching the blanket tightly.

_'W-what happened to me? Where… was I?'_ she wonders, wiping at her stinging eyes and then looking back at the blue haired man watching her, feeling sad and lost. The man gives her a sad, sympathetic look, watching her a bit.

"What did Mithos do to you..?" Yuan whispers, angry the blond would take it this far, not only does he imprison Krystina for over four thousand years; he has also erased her memories as well. He sighs again, then slowly approaches the bed, making sure not to do anything sudden or startling that would frighten her. He moves both his cloak and shirt to show her his Cruxis crystal, touching it gently, and then he reveals his wings, still watching her. Krys gasps a bit as the purple and pink wings unfold and flutter behind him, they're beautiful. He slowly reaches a hand out toward her, and he then touches her collarbone, where her own unique crystal rests. She frowns, touching the smooth stone set into a silver crest, and she concentrates a bit like he instructs her to, which causes large translucent wings burst from her back, making her jade green eyes widen. She sees that her wings are purple and blue mixed, with hues of green throughout, and she opens them a couple times experimentally, before looking back at Yuan.

"You're a Seraph, or Seraphim, a high ranking Angel, same as I am, and our other friend, Kratos." He says softly, hoping the name of her other dear friend will trigger something. Krys sits back a bit after retracting her wings, thinking a moment about the name Yuan mentioned, there's something very familiar about it.

"Best friend.." she whispers, trailing off, and Yuan smiles, nodding.

"That's right; you and Kratos were very, very close." He reaches ino a pocket, pulling out a faded, folded paper and handing it to her. She frowns a bit, but takes it and carefully unfolds it to reveal drawing of himself, Kratos and her, smiling and waving, the auburn haired man smiling with his arm tucked around her waist. Martel had sketched it shortly before her death and had he had kept it ever since. She gazes at the drawing, studying it, running a finger over the images on the paper.

"Kratos…" she says softly as her fingers brush over the image of the auburn haired man. She looks back up at Yuan, frowning.

"Why… can't I remember?" she asks quietly, and Yuan chews his lip, not sure it's a good time to tell her what happened yet, so shakes his head softly. She sighs softly, then says, gazing back at the drawing again, her eyes resting on the image of Kratos. She then looks back up.

"Martel is.. gone." And Yuan nods sadly, eyes downcast. He sits down on the edge of the bed, looking sadly down at his hands as he feels a very painful twinge in his chest, even after all these years he still can't even think of his long lost love without it tearing him apart inside. He suddenly feels the bed move and arms then gently encircle him, realizing Krystina has scooted over and is gently pulling him into a hug. He lets out a soft sigh, which comes out sounding much more like a pained half sob and burrows into her left shoulder, having missed her presence and comfort for several years now.

"I-I miss h-her s-so much…" he whispers as tears well in his eyes, something he thought he could no longer do as a Seraph. He decides to just let it go and begins to softly cry; suddenly missing Martel so badly it's tearing him apart. Krystina watches Yuan as he trembles against her, curling up as close as he can into her side, she can also tell he's totally exhausted, though she's not sure why. Without her even thinking about it, she begins to softly hum, a song she somehow remembers as she holds him, and she pulls a blanket from beside her over, tucking it over Yuan after a bit later when he starts to calm and his eyelids droop. She smiles slightly, staying where she is as Yuan drifts to sleep, cobalt blue hair falling over his eyes and fluttering slightly as a soft sigh escapes his lips. Suddenly, a man with brown hair and a beard pokes his head into the room, looking for Yuan, but quiets when he sees his sleeping boss.

"Why is he so exhausted?" Krystina asks softly, startling the other man. He watches her and his boss a moment, and then says,

"Yuan is a very busy man, and he does not allow himself much downtime. He has many things going on he must take care of. He has not been far from you since you were brought here though a few days ago. By the way, to be a bit more helpful, my name is Botta." Krystina nods, glancing down at Yuan again, and wondering what Botta means by her being brought here. Botta sits down, and then begins to softly tell Krystina about the Renegades, knowing that she is one of the _only_ people that Yuan still trusts with his life.

She settles back as she listens to him, listening intently to all the information he tells her, curious about the organization Yuan runs, and also about the memories that she's missing. Botta also notices the tear trails staining the half-elf's cheeks, and tries to hide his surprise,

'_He trusts her more than I realized, to go as far as to break down..'_ He realizes, sighing a bit in relief. Yuan has never let his emotions show in front of anyone before, that is, except anger towards those of his men that prove to be incompetent, and he keeps things so tightly bottled up that Botta worries that some day it's going to make him break, and _badly_. Botta soon heads from the room, though he does tell Krystina to look after his boss for a while, he thinks that she would be good for Yuan. He does not, however, realize that she is the very same woman who had once long ago captured the heart of Lord Aurion many years before.

Krystina leans back against the headboard of the bed, making sure she's careful of Yuan, as he's still sleeping in her arms. With one hand, she gently threads her fingers through his silky soft cobalt blue hair, gently undoing the hair tie and tossing it onto the table beside the bed. He stirs in his sleep a little, and then settles back down, sighing softly and actually snuggling into her side a bit, into her warmth. She lifts his hand gently, looking at the sterling silver ring on his left third finger, _'Y&M'_ set into the band in a decorative elven scripting, and suddenly she remembers comforting this man once before, remembering him in great pain, back in another time. She also remembers comforting the auburn haired man and a younger blond boy as well, but she's unable to remember their names. When Yuan is still asleep by the time Botta returns, he says softly,

"He may be out for the night, I don't remember the last time he's had proper sleep, aside from the fact Seraphs don't sleep much." Krystina nods a bit, smoothing back the blue hair with a soft touch, and then she says softly,

"Please see that we are not disturbed." Botta nods, heading from the room again, to give the order to the other renegades. Krys then turns back to the sleeping man curled close to her, a serene expression on his features. She smiles softly, fixing the blanket, and settling down herself too, deciding not to leave Yuan alone.

A few days later, Krystina is now well enough that she's been exploring the base and the nearby town of Triet, sometimes on her own, and sometimes with Yuan, the two of them starting to reconnect their old bond of friendship. One of their favorite places to go and talk is at the Triet Oasis, sitting in the shade by the water.

They're actually sitting out there now, Krys laying her head on Yuan's shoulder, she feels safe with him, she knows he'll protect her, even though she doesn't have her memories it doesn't bother him that she doesn't, she knows he wants to help her. He smiles a bit and loops one arm around her waist, happier than he's been in a long time now that he has his best friend back, his other best friend.

"How long do you think it will take to… get my memories back? I hate not knowing." Krys says softly, gazing out at the water, tossing a small, flat rock into the calm blue surface.

"I wish I had the answer to that, Tina, I really do." Yuan says, and she sighs a bit, laying her head back down and sighing a bit, she's frustrated, she wants to remember, and she's unable to understand why she can't. Yuan hasn't told her yet, for two reasons, one because of how close the two are becoming and he enjoys being around her, and second he's afraid that as soon as he tells her, she'll leave right away to find Kratos, and he'll be alone again. He knows it may seem to be a little selfish, but he doesn't want to be alone any more, and Krys seems to be awakening his feelings again, ones he had pushed deep down when Martel died. He knows how Kratos had felt about her back then, and he had sworn that he would never see her as more than his best friend if and when they found her, and now, his heart seems to have turned on him. He's starting to get feelings for her he shouldn't be. Her kindness and gentle touches have been drawing him in, into a place he doesn't want to leave the warmth of. He also knows that if she did leave to find Kratos that the auburn haired mercenary, despite how much he loves Anna, might awaken his old buried feelings for the raven haired Seraph.

"Yuan, are you alright?" Krys asks, watching him with concern. He lifts his head to look in her eyes, and nods a bit.

"Yeah, just thinking a bit." He says softly, tucking a lock of cobalt blue hair behind his ear a bit. She nods and looks back out the water, but moves her hand, gently taking a hold of his, as she rests her head back on his shoulder. He squeezes her hand in return, feeling quite reassured by her presence. They head back after a bit, Krys deciding to wander the base a bit while waiting for Yuan to check in with Botta.

Not long after that, Krys decides one morning to head out and explore Sylvarant, curious about it, and also wondering if seeing the area would trigger any other memories. After receiving careful instructions from Yuan to keep out of sight, especially keep her wings hidden, she dresses and gets ready to head out. She comes out of her room dressed in comfortable black pants and a white peasant style top, clipping her cloak around her shoulders, she smiles when she sees Yuan waiting by the door. Waving at him a she heads outside, he watches as she flies off, and smiles a bit.

"Be careful." Yuan calls as she disappears from sight, and already realizing that he cares for her already much more than he should, even more so than he thought at the oasis the other day. Enough that it could seriously hurt Kratos if he finds out that she's been found and is staying with him.

Krys lands in the woods near a town called Iselia after flying for a bit, making sure not to be seen and making sure no one is around, she flicks her wings once, then withdraws them again and walks out of the forest and toward the village. She just wanders around for a while exploring the small village, and talking to a few people as well as she moves down streets, when suddenly she accidentally bumps into someone that's out walking, two people actually, followed by a large green and white protozoan. Krys gasps softly, and looks away shyly, her long hair covering most of her face as she apologizes quietly. Anna just smiles at her and says that it doesn't matter, she puts a hand on her shoulder and says,

"Don't worry, its no harm done." Krys nods, still looking down shyly, still blushing slightly at having been so clumsy. Kratos though just stays quiet, watching the two women.

"Come, Noishe!" he then calls as they head off, and Krys watches them leave, thinking of how the man's deep voice is familiar to her from somewhere, but she still can't remember much at all, which frustrates her. She ends up leaving a bit later, that soft, deep voice still playing on in her head. She continues to explore Iselia for a while, finding it to be a nice little town, the people friendly, well mostly, the Mayor is a bit conceited though. She also hears about the ranch just out beyond the edge of town and the Non-Aggression Treaty the village has with it's leader. Krys lets herself relax and enjoy the outing for a while, eventually having some tea later while sitting by a tree near the school, relaxing in the shade. She even sees the two people she ran into before she started looking around much. Krys laughs as when they walk not far away, the protozoan stops a moment and looks around, sniffing, then whines and runs over to her, nosing at her arm.

"You seem nice, don't you." Krys says with a smile, scratching the fur behind his ears, as he sits down on his haunches and whines happily. Being absorbed in petting the animal, she and Noishe don't even hear Kratos and Anna come over. Anna laughs and says,

"He seems to like you." And Krys nods, glancing up through her hair a bit at the woman's warm brown eyes.

"He seems very friendly." Anna smirks and says.

"Only to those he likes or when he wants something." And Kratos groans beside her, and calls Noishe back after a moment.

"Nice seeing you again!" Anna calls with a wave as they head back off, and Krys nods at her a bit. Krys watches the two people a moment, again feeling the man's voice is familiar to her and again not knowing why. Discouraged a bit, she soon heads from the village, and wanders to the woods, where she pulls out her wings and heads off into the air, heading back to the base to talk to Yuan. Though when she gets there, she has to laugh, seeing Yuan and Botta outside with some new recruits, Yuan trying to hide behind the larger man as the recruits pelt him with water balloons. Krys smirks, landing beside Botta.

"Found out it's his birthday, did they?" she says, and Botta nods and laughs, Krys too, as they hear Yuan grumble

"Traitors." At them. Though when Krys looks at him he's smirking too, and soon she finds herself dragged into the water balloon war as well. Botta laughs,

"We need to ask the Triet kids for pranks more often." And Krys laughs as Yuan groans a bit and face palms, shaking his head while several of the men snicker. Krys smirks and retaliates at them with a water spell she suddenly remembers, making several men yelp in dismay and gets both Yuan and Botta to start laughing. After a while of goofing around they head back inside the base to dry off, Krys smirking as Yuan continues to grumble about being soaked.

* * *

Over the next few years, she ventures out more and more often, sometimes with Yuan at her side, and sometimes alone, so that now she has Sylvarant almost memorized. Tethe'alla too, from the times Yuan took her to go and visit there. Yuan has also told her about Kratos and how he met Anna and the two fell in love, and their baby son Lloyd was born at the Triet Base though Krys and Kratos never actually saw each other, as she still is missing so many of memories. She's sad about Kratos, feeling like he's forgot her and moved on, and often goes to Yuan for comfort in her down times. She and Yuan are actually very close now, possibly even bordering a relationship to put it one way. Lloyd is three now, and he is adorable, his parents visit fairly often with him to the base. Krys has played little games with him several times and he seems to adore her, though surprisingly, he keeps her a secret from his parents.

"Tina?" Yuan says as he peeks into her room one day, smirking when he sees her once again over in the corner of the room, toy after toy being tossed into a wooden chest that she has started storing them inside of, or else they end up spread all over the place. He kneels beside her on the floor, picking the stuffed dog from her hand and tossing it in the chest. He then says,

"Tina, can you go to Iselia for me? Kratos and his family are there looking for the dwarf I told them about but Desians are on the move, can you keep an eye on them for me? I'm worried they're being followed. And I hope you can please keep from being seen by Kratos or anyone you catch following him unless absolutely necessary. Promise?" Krys nods, tossing a toy truck into the chest and standing up.

"Don't worry Yue." She says, using her old nickname for him. She actually used to use it before too, which makes him blush slightly in response at the fact she remembered it, and also a new feeling it brings to him as well. Unable to resist, Yuan finds himself placing a light kiss on her lips, before turning on the spot with a wave, and heading from the room. She touches her lips in shock, and then she lets grabs per pack and her bow, slipping her sword sheath onto her belt on her waist, and heads outside. She lets wings free, taking to the air. When she arrives in the Iselia woods, she is shocked to find that Desians have Kratos and his family surrounded. A weird blond man with slitted eyes seems to be leading them. The protozoan is protecting the toddler, and the man, who she recognizes as Kvar from Yuan's descriptions, the Grand Cardinal, grabs Anna, and with a glare at Kratos and an awful laugh, he yanks the exsphere roughly from her skin.

"Anna! No!" Kratos cries desperately, his voice full of pain as Anna's body begins to grow and change before his eyes. His garnet colored eyes fill with hurt and anger as Kvar gives a harsh laugh and shoves Anna away, causing her to stumble and fall to her knees. The Exbeula, or Anna pushes herself up and lumbers toward Lloyd, growling some, and Krys almost darts right out of her hiding spot, but Noishe runs over, snarling at the creature and protecting the boy. The snarls of the Exbeula's anger and also despair fill the air as she swings her arm, slashing both the large protozoan, and Lloyd's hand as well. Kratos' eyes fill with tears, his knuckles turning white with how hard he's gripping Flamberge.

"Anna! Stop, that's our son!" Kratos yells, his voice shaking with fear and pain. Tears are blurring his vision, this can't be happening, they were so close to getting her a key crest, so close only to have this happen. She turns to Kratos, and Krys' eyes fill with fresh tears as Anna's voice says brokenly,

"K-Kratos.. P-please.. K-kill me.. Before I.. K-kill.. o-our son.." Kratos lets out a wail of all his pain and fear, shaking his head desperately, tears spilling from his garnet eyes and his hands starting to shake as he holds his sword. She pleads with him again, her voice sad, and broken in defeat. Then the Exbeula veers toward the crying boy once again. Without thinking, Kratos runs toward Lloyd, instinct to protect his son suddenly taking over, his Flamberge burying itself deeply into the exbeula's chest. Kvar leaves with his men, his cruel laughter now echoing in the trees.

"Daddy!" Lloyd cries as the cliff gives way, and he, Noishe and Anna's body tumble down along with the blue exsphere. Kratos tries to catch Lloyd, crying out his name, but a few Desians who had lingered pull him back, as he shouts out his son's name again in despair. Krys darts out and down the cliff from the other side, catching the unconscious boy in her arms, cradling him as she lands on the ground, hugging him to her chest. As she does, a dwarf comes out of the woods to her left, looking worried. When he asks what the commotion was, she gently hands the boy to him, saying,

"Please, look after them." He nods, kneeling down to check Anna and Noishe. Krys heads off to the side, calling Yuan on her communicator,

"Yuan, it's bad.. Kvar found them. Get to the cliff by the ranch now, Kratos needs you.." Yuan gives a quick, worried response and then cuts out. Krys goes back over to the dwarf, who was just speaking to Anna on the ground. Krys chews her lip.

"Is she...?" she starts to ask, then pauses, looking back at the unconscious boy cradled in the dwarf's arms. He nods sadly,

"Yes, she passed away, her wounds were too much." Krys sighs sadly.

"Name's Dirk." He then says, and Krys nods.

"Krystina." She says softly. Dirk tells her that Anna asked him to look after Lloyd, to raise him until he's of age or until his father finds him. She says,

"I will watch over him as well, but please, do not let him know. He will find out when the time is right." Dirk nods, and she helps him move Anna. Krys heals Noishe as best she can, after that she carries Lloyd, following Dirk, who's carrying Anna. Noishe limping after them. Lloyd is put to bed at Dirk's cabin, Noishe settles on the floor beside the bed and Krys and Dirk go back outside. Dirk prepares a grave to lay Anna to rest, and he and Krys say a soft prayer for her, Krys then using a murmured spell to engrave writing into the stone. When Krys returns to the cliff top, she sees Yuan crouched on the ground at the bottom of the cliff, Kratos sobbing brokenly into his shoulder. Yuan sees her, and nods slightly, but doesn't let himself move, his focus is on his crying friend. She mouths 'Lloyd's safe' and Yuan nods a bit, then looks back down at Kratos.

Before he can say anything to Kratos though, suddenly Yggdrasill appears beside them, a bit of a scowl on his lips and he pulls Kratos to his feet without word, warping away with the very distraught man. Yuan tries to stop him but is unable to and drops his head sadly. Krys comes out from the trees, walking up to Yuan and wraps an arm around him, her eyes sad too but they also have a flicker of hope in them. They return to the Triet base, where they retreat to Yuan's room. They settle on the bed, Yuan lays his head on her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck with a sigh as he does, he's very worried his actions were too little too late for Kratos, but she reassures him its not, telling him he was there when Kratos went through the worst, when he needed someone the most. Yuan nods and slowly begins to calm, still resting at her side.

Meanwhile, on Derris-Kharlan, Yggdrasill appears with Kratos, who by now is silent, eyes dead and empty, his heart broken and numb.

"G-gone…" he murmurs, "a-all gone… K-Krystina, n-now Anna a-and Lloyd… its all gone." He murmurs sadly, not caring that tears still escape down his cheeks. All he can think about is the fact that everyone he's ever loved is gone. Mithos watches him a moment, and then says,

"Kratos, what will you do now? You have nothing left on the worlds, stay here with us, to help us revive Martel, and fix the worlds." Kratos is silent, seemingly lost in thought, then finally he nods some, and without a word, he turns and heads for his old quarters, where he then shuts himself inside, sinking down against the door, with his head in his hands, shoulders beginning to shake as sobs suddenly begin to pour from him, all he can think about is Krystina, Anna and little Lloyd, all of them gone, everything is all gone. He no longer has anything left to live for, his best friend disappeared, and his wife and son are dead, his world is gone. Down in Welgaia, Mithos pauses while talking to an angel, looking up as a single, heartbroken wail sounds through the air, and he sighs some, deciding he may as well give Kratos a few days to mourn before taking matters into his own hands. He turns back to the angel, his brokenhearted former sensei slipping from his mind.

* * *

**I hope that was way better than what it was before. Review and tell me what you think, please? :)**

**Sani.**


	3. Expect the Unexpected!

**Well here it is! I added a little extra suspense to it as well as expanding other parts. It was getting long, so I had to take some off the bottom and it will be the start of chapter 4. Hope you like it! :) I'd like to thank the reviewers again, you guys are awesome!**

"Blah" - Talking

'Blah' - Thinking

**Disclaimer: **Same as always, don't own it, Namco does. Lol I would love to own Kratos though! :P

* * *

**Seventeen Years Later.**

"Lloyd Irving, wake up!" a female voice yells, as the end of a chalkboard eraser connects with a brunette boy's forehead, startling him awake where he's leaning against the wall with two pails of water, one in each hand.

"Sorry Professor, uh, is class over?" Lloyd asks, putting down one of the heavy pails and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. With a sigh, the teacher walks back to the front of the room, asking a boy named Genis, Lloyd's young best friend, to answer the question instead. His other best friend is Colette, Sylvarant's Chosen of Mana. Today is the day of the oracle, so they are going over the history of the Kharlan war today in class.

Krys, who has kept her promise and watched over the young Aurion for the last fourteen years, is appalled at the version of history that Mithos, or Yggdrasill now and his so called church of Martel has come out with. She had been able to regain her memories as well, sadly though it happened the night she had watched Anna's death. She and Yuan are still very, very close, and are now also in a relationship. It had been hard at first, but Krys learned to accept that Kratos, in the years since she had disappeared had lost the place in his heart for her, or so it seemed to her at the time, Yuan has never corrected her. Krys has also found work, putting her combat skills to use as a very successful mercenary, and she travels a great deal with the job.

She and Yuan have recently been discussing her going to help the Chosen on her journey of Restoration as protection and a guide, and Yuan hasn't said it, but to also keep a bit of an eye on Kratos as well, he doesn't like how loyal his old friend seems to have become to Yggdrasill, his cold demeanor these days is worrisome. Krys is currently standing on a tree branch inside one of the many trees of the Iselia forest, where she can see the village, and the Martel temple. Yuan is with her, his arms around her waist while his chin rests on her shoulder. The two of them waiting and watching. She also knows about the renegades' desire to stop the Chosen on her journey for the reason of stopping her becoming an Angel, but she has talked him out of actually hurting the girl. Suddenly a bright, white light flashes and pillars skyward, and she and Yuan both shield their sensitive eyes, gazing at the temple.

"It's the oracle." Yuan says, and Krys nods. They watch as a woman runs to the temple's doors, heading inside, and then soon after, three people make their way there as well, Krys gives a slight gasp of surprise when she sees that one of them is Lloyd, flanked closely by his two best friends. Krys gives Yuan a slow, deep kiss, and then he smiles some as she heads off, telling her to be careful as she waves. The tails of her deep green cape flutter out in the breeze as she runs quickly; wanting to get there before anything can happen to Lloyd. She makes it up the steps to the temple just in time to protect Lloyd and his friends from a rather large desian, not knowing it yet that its Yuan's forces. Krys is lucky at the same time, as another sword is there pushed up at hers, also intending to block the monster man from reaching the three teens. She looks up, and finds herself looking into a very familiar face, that of Kratos Aurion. She hides her surprise at and steels herself, pushing back on her sword. His eyes move over her as he pushes back on his also, both of them forcing Vidarr back, slashing at him, then Kratos looks to the three behind them.

"Are you three alright?" Krys asks, and the teens nod, looking from her to Kratos, then to her again, all three of them are curious, but also a little apprehensive as well about the two very strange new people. Then, an old woman appears as well, an old hand resting on a walking staff, she's the head priestess and Colette's grandmother.

"What are your names?" She asks them softly, and Kratos says, sheathing his sword,

"I am Kratos Aurion, a mercenary." Krys says softly, sheathing hers as well, and glancing at Kratos from the corner of her eye,

"My name is Tina Ukishira, I am also a mercenary." Kratos gives her a confused look, the name seems almost familiar to him, but he isn't sure how. Krys looks at him again, and then back at the teens, noting the despair in Kratos' garnet eyes, the deep pain that he'd carried around for years having dulled his once shining eyes. Colette then steps forward, saying that she will go and start the trial now, and Lloyd says,

"Then I will come and protect you!" and Phaidra pauses, regarding the brunette curiously for moment, and then she says,

"Lloyd? I would be uncomfortable with just you." Krys notices the way Kratos looks at the teen, pain flickering freshly in his eyes, years of hurt suddenly brought to the surface, though she notices he hides it well.

"..Your name is Lloyd?" he asks, hiding the tremor in his voice, and Krys hides a smile, as she watches the two.

'_Yes Kratos, that's your Lloyd, your baby boy._' She wishes that she could tell him, and put his tormented heart at ease, but there's too many things at stake right now. Krys and Kratos give their offers, which turn out to be about the same things, that as long as they would be paid, they will take the job of protecting the Chosen. Phaidra says,

"I don't seem to have a choice, please be of service." Krys and Kratos follow Colette into the temple, and Lloyd runs after them, calling Genis, the other boy, to come too. They move over the entry area, and Krys hides a smirk as Kratos stops Lloyd and hands him an old book which he says is to help him with his self taught swordsmanship. Lloyd gives him an exasperated look, and pulls a face at the back of his head. They then move further inside, heading down a hall directly across from the entry, where they find a door that's blocked by an energy field, and Colette tells them to find an object, called the Sorcerer's Ring in order to deactivate the field, which is hidden somewhere deeper within the temple. Keeping alert for anything, Krys and Kratos follow the teen Chosen and her friends deeper into the temple, heading down a flight of stairs to where they find a large, open room. The middle of the room has a large, what seems to be glass paneled floor in the center, with stone pathways and stairs at either side, underneath and also in front of it. They move down to the middle and look around, spotting a Golem. With both mercenaries helping, the creature is defeated fairly quickly, leaving behind a large, stone cube.

"Oops!" Colette suddenly yelps, having tripped and collided with the cube, and the other four watch as it slides across the floor and drops down one of several open holes, lodging itself in a gap between two stone pathways below. They look from the cube lodged where it is, and back to the floor to their left as another golem appears.

"I get it!" Genis says at the same time as Kratos makes a thoughtful sound. Lloyd though seems confused, as does Colette. They soon get the idea however, and attack the new Golem, it too becoming a cube on defeat. They maneuver it to another hole and drop it down, returning to the middle of the floor as a third appears. They continue defeating golems and placing cubes into pathway holes until all are filled in and then head below, finding a couple item chests and then in the front of the room, the Sorcerer's Ring. The group makes their way back upstairs, both Kratos and Krys keeping their senses on full alert for danger as they head down hallways and up flights of stairs, finally finding themselves at the altar not that long after. Colette steps forward, and she begins to pray at the altar. An orb of light rises from the altar, and becomes an angel.

"I am Remiel." He says, lifting his hand, and the glowing red Cruxis crystal attaches itself to the base of Colette's throat. He recognizes Colette as the Chosen, both mercenaries watching it quietly, though Krys does not miss his 'discreet' glare directed toward her, and he says,

"I bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant." And everyone watches out the window as a tower taller than the clouds appears. Remiel then instructs Colette to unlock each of the four seals and make her way to the Tower of Salvation, and unlock the fifth and final seal, which then will restore the world. He then vanishes back into the orb of light, which fades. Kratos leaves, the two women following him, leaving Lloyd and Genis behind. Kratos, Krys and Colette go back with Phaidra to Iselia, to discuss the journey of Restoration. When Lloyd and Genis arrive, both parties have agreed the two mercenaries will accompany Colette, along with Raine Sage, the woman the townspeople trust to teach their children at the school, and she is also a skilled healer and Genis' older sister. Lloyd demands a spot on the journey, but Kratos tells him that it's too dangerous, so no, which upsets him. Colette apologizes to the two boys as they leave, and says she will stop by Lloyd's house tonight to talk to him for a bit before she leaves the next day.

* * *

That night, Krys looks up from the branch she's sitting on near Lloyd's house, as the four from earlier come to the door. She had been watching worriedly as Lloyd is being yelled at by his adoptive father, Dirk for using his exsphere, and Dirk, in his frustration takes a half hearted swipe at Lloyd's chest, but he jumps back, and then yanks the door open and hurries outside, where he finds the others. Lloyd doesn't see it, but Krys notices the hidden concern in Kratos' eyes, and his uncertainty as well. Lloyd asks them for a minute to get himself together, and then he'll talk. Krys watches Kratos as he makes his way over to the grave a moment later, studying the headstone's carved surface, and then he drops to his knees when he sees the name, "Anna" inscribed into the stone.

"He is my son.." Krys hears him whisper, his voice cracking with suppressed pain and the years of keeping it so tightly suppressed and hidden wearing on him heavily, though it's only due to her angelic hearing that she can hear him. Krys drops down from the branch quietly, glancing around to see where everyone is, and then walking over to Kratos, kneeling beside him.

"You okay?" she asks gently, and he looks up, pain swirling in his garnet eyes.

"I.. T-thought he had died.. I thought m-my boy was dead." he says softly, looking at her almost as if he's needing someone to wake him from a nightmare and stop the pain, and she lays a hand on his shoulder. She says softly,

"He's alive and well, and look how he's grown, be proud, and now that you have the very chance you seem to have wanted, take it, be there for him." Kratos nods, looking back at Anna's grave a moment, lightly resting his head down on her shoulder, to calm himself down. He finds it surprisingly natural to have done so, but he stays quiet about it. When he calms, they head back over to the house where they see Colette and Lloyd are saying their final goodbyes to each other outside the door, or so Colette thinks. Soon they're heading back to town, and Krys says,

"Kratos, I have a room at the inn, with an extra bed. Did.. you have somewhere that you were going to stay?" he shakes his head, and says softly,

"I didn't, but I'll accept your offer." Krys nods, and she and Kratos talk softly a bit as they keep their senses alert for the monsters of the forest. They soon arrive back in town, and both of the mercenaries make sure Colette reaches her house while Rain and Genis head to theirs on the other side of town, and then they head over to the inn, and Krys leads Kratos upstairs and to her rented room. She puts her stuff on one of the beds, and then glances at Kratos, and she retreats outside to the balcony and then the roof; Kratos sits down on the other bed, taking off his sword, cape and belts, and then laying down in silence, hands behind his head as he stares at the ceiling tiles, thinking about the female mercenary in detail. He sighs tiredly, sadness in it as well,

_'__There's something about this woman, how is it that she's in my field of work, a traveling mercenary, and yet, I have never seen her before that I recall. Who is she really? She seems so familiar, but how? Why? When she saw me at Anna's grave and came over it was like she could see right through me, to the bare emotions that I have been struggling to hide all these years. It unnerves me how she can, it's almost as if she knows, all of it._

_She reminds me of someone, someone from so long ago. Her eyes definitely caught me, __right away, they're such an unusual green, a green I have only seen once before in my long, long lifetime, and I feel as if I know those eyes, but it couldn't be… her, she vanished so long ago that it's numbed me now. The same bright green eyes and that same long raven hair, it must be just coincidence, it has to be, there's no way she could have returned after this long. _

_When I saw her__, I thought for a second, just a split second, that I'd been looking back at my old best friend. But no, that can't be true, could it? It must just be a wish of a man's sad tired heart. I miss her so much, even more lately, especially since, no, I can't think about that, it's too painful. I may have found my son, but I've still lost so much more. I wish... no, wishing is a fool's game, she's gone, has been for over 4,000 years, and I have to accept that. Even though, I can't shake this strange feeling about her, that there's something she's hiding, and it nags at me, with severity, I want to find out what it is, but that would just unearth old pain, and I do not want any more of that. Something else made me wonder as well, Noishe seemed to like her right off, same as how he liked that girl right off that day in here in Iselia, eighteen years ago, which is unusual, and he barely trusts anyone, especially strange people.' _

Kratos sighs, turning on his side and staring at the wall, garnet eyes stinging a bit, many thoughts running through his tired mind. He also finds himself thinking about how when they had been sitting outside at Lloyd's just earlier, near Anna's grave, that he caught her chewing on her lower lip, the exact same tensed habit that Krystina used to have when deep in thought. She was even chewing it the exact same way she'd used to do it too. The _exact_ same way, and it had sent a nervous pang through him to see it.

_'I wonder if this was really a good idea…' _Krys finds herself wondering as she sits quietly up on the roof, watching the stars. Her former best friend is in the room below her and it doesn't seem like he really even remembers her, or even recognized her. She sighs, trying to ignore it as the painful twinge returns to her chest. She decides that as soon as the group reaches Triet, that she's going to pay Yuan a visit, needing someone to talk to about all of this. She lightly leaps off the roof and back onto the balcony, and then heads back inside after a bit, seeing Kratos lying on his side, facing the wall, his body a bit tense, and she hears a sigh escape his lips too, her senses telling her he's feigning sleep, not needing it as a Seraph. She lays down, also pretending to nod off to sleep herself.

The next day they head out early in the morning, the mercenaries and Rain watching the Chosen say goodbye to both her father and grandmother, not realizing Colette had told Lloyd the wrong departure time. After they leave, in an annoyed mood, Genis hurries to Lloyd's to get him, while Colette's group heads for Triet. Their path determined by the two mercenaries.

A couple of nights in, as they make camp under one of the desert's large but sparse dead trees, Krys watches Raine and the chosen pouring over some texts in Angelic as they sit together by the fire, the chosen teaching some to Raine, who's very interested. Kratos though, had put his pack down without a word, and had gone wandering off some where walking around; she knows though that he's alert for any danger as he's likely patrolling. Krys returns her patient attention to the two women, listening to their soft whispers with her sharp hearing. She catches a few spoken mistakes in pronunciation by the professor, Colette softly correcting her on some of them, but as she does, misses a few others, and Krys has to hold her tongue to keep from correcting them, as they can't know of her background as a Seraph. Kratos can't know either, not yet. She soon finds her mind wandering back to Lloyd; how the boy looks so much like his father. She also can't help but wonder if he's inherited his father's angelic blood also.

"Tina, your turn for watch." Kratos says as he comes back toward the fire, and Krys lets a sigh out as she gets up, nodding and then stretching, glancing at him before reaching over and picking up her bow and slinging it and the quiver over her shoulder, and then also picking up her sword and heading off in the direction opposite of where Kratos had gone earlier. Kratos watches her go. Tina even moves the way Krystina used to, she even fights like Krystina had used to, just seeing it causes a twinge in his chest, but, he refuses to get his hopes up, it'd be just too painful if it all fell through.

Raine and the chosen soon retire, but Kratos stays awake, both gazing at the fire, and at their surroundings. Tina has yet to come back from her scouting walk, though Kratos' pretty sure she can take care of herself if she has to. He sighs and lays back, again finding himself thinking a bit about the similarities between Tina, and his old friend. He turns onto his side, his head resting on his arm as he gazes up at the starts, sighing again sadly and closing his eyes. Krys yawns and stretches as she comes back into the camp, seeing everyone sleeping, and to her surprise, Kratos is even dozing as well, not feigning this time. She smiles slightly and sets her weapons down, her cloak dropping soon after, and then she climbs into her sleeping roll and settles down.

The next morning finds Tina making some omelets and rice balls for everyone while both Rain and Colette are going through their supply bag to check everything, making sure they have enough to get to Triet. Krys soon calls them over to eat, though neither she nor Kratos eat much. The two mercenaries stay quiet, listening to the women talking softly as they eat, discussing who in Triet might know where the first seal is located. Once everyone is packed, they start walking in the direction of the desert town, as they can barely see Triet in the distance.

"Watch it, Chosen!" Krys says when they've barely make it twenty odd paces, when they notice a group of sidewinders and poison needles ready to ambush them. Krys and Kratos draw their swords, and Colette stands back, both her chakrams at ready, Raine with her, ready to heal, as Tina and Kratos face off with the persistent creatures. Tina makes quick work of a sidewinder that races for Colette, while Kratos finishes the last couple poison needles off. Raine hands them each an apple gel as they start walking again in the direction of the town, Krys using the tip of an arrow to flip a dead sidewinder out of their path. Though as she does, she doesn't notice that an unusually colored poison needle lays crumpled up on the dusty ground behind her, or that Kratos keeps rubbing his right upper arm as if it's irritated.

"Hey, um, Tina? Where did Kratos go?" Colette suddenly asks a while later, startling Krys from within her thoughts, and she frowns, seeing the two women look confused.

"Set up camp by that tree, I'm going to backtrack for him." The two women nod and she hands them her travel pack, then starts heading back the way they came, calling out for the ruby eyed mercenary.

* * *

"Lord Yggdrasill." An angel's flat voice says, startling the blond out of his thoughts. With a sigh he turns to the drone and says,

"What is it?" and the angel hesitates, and then says,

"The needle missed the target. Kratos intercepted it before she saw it." Yggdrasill snorts and narrows his eyes in anger.

"WHAT?" he shouts, "damn him! Was he poisoned?" The angel says,

"We are unsure, Krystina is searching for him as of when we had last checked." Sighing a bit, Yggdrasill nods, an angry frown on his lips.

"Very well. Keep me informed." He says. And the angel nods and bows, and then leaves the throne room. Sighing in frustration, the blond slumps back down onto his throne.

'_Damn Kratos, always getting in the way and making a mess of things.'_ He groans, rolling his eyes a bit and leaning his head back against the cool stone of his throne, deciding to place his old sensei on a tighter leash.

* * *

Krys sighs, she's getting worried about Kratos. The mercenary she remembers never falls behind for any reason, and it's disconcerting. She keeps walking, her eyes widening not long after, when a flash of purple catches her eye. She runs over, shocked to see the auburn haired man laying face down in the sand.

"Damn." She cures under her breath, kneeling down to check him. He's unconscious, and she spots a large, festering wound on his arm, and she gently tugs off his arm covering for a look at it, frowning worriedly. She glances around, then uses her sword to cut down two dead trees at the bottom, pulling off her travel cloak and lashing it to the trees as bars to make a travois to bring him back to camp with. Once it's ready, she carefully maneuvers him into it, frowning some when she feels the heat of a high fever radiating off his clammy skin. Cursing under her breath again at the unluckiness of it all, she makes sure he's settled, then starts back for camp, dragging him the whole way on the travois. She keeps her senses alert for any creatures, wanting to get back soon before the sun goes down.

"This is not good. Really not good." She mutters to herself after a bit, stopping to drink a bit of water, and she kneels down, trickling a bit into his mouth and massaging his throat so he'll swallow, and then wetting a cloth she had made from tearing a corner off her cloak, placing it on his forehead, then continuing to walk again. When the camp finally comes into view, Krys sighs a bit in relief, tired from walking and a couple encounters with stubborn creatures.

"Raine!" she yells, "Raine he's been poisoned!" she calls, and the professor jumps up and grabs her staff, running to meet Krys. Her eyes widen when she sees the unconscious mercenary on the travois, and even more when she sees the unfamiliar poison needle at his feet, well what's left of one anyway.

"I encountered that on the way here, I've never seen one like it, and I think it's what got him, normally mercenaries are very strong against most weaker poisons." Raine nods, frowning a bit, and she helps Krys bring the travois over to the fire. While Raine draws up a sample from the poison needle to study quickly, Krys and Colette get Kratos into the shade and settled down onto her sleeping roll. Krys then says softly,

"I need some water, hurry!" she says, and the blond nods, hurrying back to the canteens and bringing one over. Krys thanks her, pouring some onto a cloth and laying it back over Kratos' forehead. She then removes his cape, gloves and arm covers, laying them down along with their weapons, then kneeling down, wetting another cloth and running it over his neck, arms and then his chest as well. Colette watches worriedly, and she ends up moving from Krys to the professor and back, worried and watching. Raine soon comes over and casts first aid, trying to bring down the fever, and Krys chews her lip, wishing she could go to the base and raid Yuan's antidote shelf for something, but knowing she can't leave the Chosen unguarded. Krys then sits back some, her eyes never leaving the unconscious mercenary, when suddenly she remembers something that in the past Yuan had mentioned. She looks up at the sky, frowning, and then lets out a sharp, shrill whistle, and soon a bird soars down. Krys sighs in relief, glad Yuan had let the birds out today for a while. She writes a quick note and ties it to the bird's leg, watching it take off. When Raine and Colette ask her about it, she says,

"I have an old friend who lives in the desert, he might be able to help." Both women nod some, and Krys rewets the cloth on Kratos' forehead, then starts making dinner for them.

Back in the base, Yuan looks up as one of his birds lands outside his office window, using its beak to tap on the glass. He gets up and pushes open the window, taking the bird on his arm, and taking off the note.

'_Yuan, Kratos has been poisoned. We found a strange looking poison needle I have never seen before and I thought you might have an idea. Please hurry and send something, his fever is very high and I'm worried. ~Krys.__'_ Is written on the paper in her neat writing, and his frowns, his eyes narrowing. He calls for Botta and the base medic, giving the medic the description of the big poison needle Krys had described, and gives him the tiny vial that had been enclosed inside Krys' note. He nods and hurries off, Yuan calling after him,

"Work as fast as you can, Kratos might not have long!" and the medic nods. Botta frowns some, saying.

"Yggdrasill is trying to do away with Krys again, isn't he?" and Yuan sighs.

"That's what I'm worried about, and it looks like Kratos intercepted it." Botta nods, and in the next moment heads from the office, worried. Yuan soon goes to see if the medic had found a clue from the liquid in the tiny vial yet.

Back at camp. Krys sighs a bit, watching Colette and Raine talking softly, eating some of their dinner, and also glancing at Kratos worriedly. Raine also comes over at regular intervals, her first aid spell isn't nullifying the fever, but so far keeping it from getting too dangerous. Krys stays beside Kratos all night, keeping the cool cloth over his forehead, and using another to wet down his arms, chest and neck at regular intervals, silently hoping Yuan can find something. She leans back a bit, groaning and stretching the next morning, getting up to walk around and stretch both her legs out, since one had fallen asleep. She also finds herself remembering a time when they'd been younger, that both Kratos and Yuan had been poisoned by arrows protecting Mithos, Martel and herself. Martel had tended to Yuan, and Krys had never left Kratos' side the whole time, even when tired, all she cared about was making sure Kratos was okay. At one point she had sat down on his bed, and laid his head in her lap, stroking his hair gently as she used cold compresses and water to treat his fever. Mithos had gone back and forth two his two friends' rooms, helping them in any way he could.

Krys puts her head in her hands, still waiting to hear back from Yuan, and it's now going on the night of the second day since Kratos was poisoned by the unusual poison needle, and now it's getting harder to keep the fever under control. Not long ago he was tossing and thrashing, an obvious effect of the fever. He's sweating profusely as well, and also, even though not aware, he had also sat up a couple times, heaving and vomiting, which Krys had to support him as he did to make sure he didn't choke or anything. Krys has also had to change him into a light tank top and pants, since he had pretty much soaked his purple mercenary uniform, which Raine had washed earlier. She sighs,

'_Are you that determined to be rid of me, Mithos?'_ she wonders, watching the man laying on her bedroll, still unconscious. She knows by how the second creature had come after her, that the one that poisoned Kratos was likely after her as well. It's not the first time the blond has tried to get her out if the way, usually Yuan was with her and they were able to deal with it before any bad things could happen. Yuan has told her that Mithos, or Yggdrasill now is pissed that he found her and took her from Vinheim, because he wanted her gone. She picks up the now warmed and somewhat dry cloth from his forehead, rewetting it and laying it back down, using the other cloth to again wet down his neck, chest and arms.

'_Hurry Yuan, he doesn't have much time.'_ She sighs sadly, gazing back down at the form of the mercenary, listening to how his breathing has gotten a bit shallow and labored. Krys leans back on the bedroll she had pulled from Kratos' pack and spread beside hers, wanting to keep by the mercenary at all times to monitor his condition.

The next morning, Kratos is getting worse, the fever is not responding to Rain's spells as it was before, and his breathing is becoming more shallow and labored. Krys is still using the cold compresses on him, but they're getting worried, he has not once woken since they found him. As they eat breakfast, well as Colette and the professor eats, and Krys tends to Kratos, a bird starts circling them, and Krys holds up an arm, whistling to it. It swoops lower and perches, and with a frown she pulls the note from its leg.

'_Krys, my medic was unable to come up with anything. As much as I hate it, I am on my way to see Yggdrasill, I doubt he intended to poison Kratos and likely has the antidote, I request you inform Botta at the base if anything happens, I'm working as fast as I can. ~Yuan.'_ Sighing a bit, Krys folds the note and tucks it away, saying,

"My friend is having trouble finding anything, he's gone to see an old acquaintance, man I hope this guy has something." Raine and Colette both nod, watching Kratos worriedly. Leaning over him, Krys checks his breathing and heart rate, too shallow and too high, and she frowns, an unusually sad sigh escaping her lips.

"You can fight this Kratos." She whispers, watching him lay there, sighing again when he doesn't respond, again. Unaware the two women are watching her again, Krys finds herself softly brushing his hair away from his closed eyes, her mind once again going back to the time that he was poisoned by the arrow.

* * *

"Mithos! Get out here!" Yuan yells once he arrives in Welgaia, grumbling under his breath as the blond soon appears, and Yuan is surprised to see he looks concerned.

"Nicely done Mithos, you've poisoned Kratos." He says sarcastically, and the blonde's eyes go wide. Yuan shakes his head, then says,

"You didn't intend it, did you? For him to get hit." And Yggdrasill shakes his head, making Yuan frown again. Mithos says,

"Is he… dying?" and Yuan is surprised to hear that he sounds more like his child like self than he has in a long time. Yuan comes over,

"Yes, he is, he's deteriorating quickly. Did you make an antidote for that poison you bred those needles with?" and Yggdrasill sighs, but nods, summoning an angel who bows and holds out his hand, revealing a small, glass vial. Yggdrasill takes it and gives it to Yuan.

"Get this to Kratos, but if you breathe a word of this to Krystina, I WILL kill her. Is that clear?" And Yuan sighs, but nods, deciding not to mention that Krys already knows pretty much all what had happened. He takes the vial and warping out of the angel city.

* * *

He appears on a dune a ways away from the camp, watching them. And when Raine and Colette both head off a bit east a ways for firewood, Yuan sneaks into the camp.

"Yue! Thank god!" Krys says, kissing him deeply. He returns it, nuzzling her neck for just a moment, realizing how close she was to being the one laying unconscious. He kisses her again, slipping the vial into her hand, then warps away before the women return and see him. Clutching the vial tightly, Krys stares at the spot he was for a moment, and then turns back to Kratos. She gets some fresh water, rewetting the cloths again, laying the one on his forehead and using both the others to wash him down again, then she looks at the vial. She pulls the stopper, bringing the glass to his lips and slowly tipping the liquid into his mouth, massaging down his throat to get his body to swallow, which it does willingly. When the vial is empty she tucks it into her pocket, then turns as the two women return. She says,

"It worked, my friend's acquaintance had the antidote, my friend just dropped it off a bit ago and I gave it to Kratos." Raine and Colette nod, sitting down, and Krys begins to make some stew while Raine stokes up the fire. Krys watches Kratos as well, hoping he doesn't have another fit of vomiting and lose the antidote before it can work. When the stew is ready she watches the two women eat, though her attention is mainly focused on Kratos, and she gently parts his lips to trickle some cool water in, again massaging his throat to help him swallow. She stays beside him, watching him as the day progresses, knowing they can't travel anywhere until he recovers. Later on, she's laying back and reading a book, when she hears a soft groan beside her. Immediately a smile slightly comes to her lips, as she sits up, checking Kratos. He's got his brow furrowed some and he groans softly again. Colette and Raine come over as well, also having heard him groaning as well.

"Kratos, can you hear me?" Krys says, taking his hand and checking his pulse. He makes a soft sound again, and lightly squeezes her hand.

"Good, you've been very ill, now just rest." He nods ever so slightly, and his body relaxes as he drifts to sleep, no longer deeply unconscious.

"Is Mr. Kratos going to be alright now?" Colette asks, and Krys nods and smiles.

"Yes, he will be now, he just needs a couple days at most to recover his strength so that we can get to Triet." Colette nods and smiles, relieved. Raine nods too, and both women head to their bedrolls again, since It's now night out. Krys settles back as well, relieved the auburn haired man is okay, though she's very angry with Mithos as well, she's appalled at the lengths the blond is going to control things. She checks Kratos off and on for a while, also keeping guard too of the campsite as she has been, finding herself unable to sleep at the moment, not that she really feels like it at the moment anyway.

The next morning Krys is relieved to see a considerable amount of Kratos' color has come back, and that his breathing is better and his fever is much lower, not gone yet, but it's definitely lower. She smiles a bit as she checks him, then gasps a bit as his garnet eyes slowly flutter open, gazing up at her. She says softly,

"Hey, good to see you awake, you were out for almost four days." His eyes widen and he tries to sit up, but she gently stops him, laying him back.

"Don't try to get up yet, you were heavily poisoned and your body is still recovering." She tells him, and he sighs, nodding. She shows him the remains of the poison needle, asking,

"It was one of these, right? This one came after me when I was bringing you back down here to camp." Kratos frowns, nodding.

"I stopped one from jumping onto your back, and it stung my arm. I had noticed it was a very unusual color, but I thought the venom would be similar to normal ones." She nods, noticing his voice is bit hoarse from four days of disuse. She gives him some water, making sure he's both covered and comfortable to rest, and she starts making breakfast, Colette and Rain waking up as she cooks. Colette smiles when she sees Kratos, and he nods at her a bit, laying back down after setting his cup down. Krys smiles slightly when she notices him drift off to sleep again, relieved it worked out in their favor. She reheats some of their leftover stew, also making up some broth for Kratos, waking him up when its ready. He sits up with her help, and she hands him the bowl, and then sits back, eating her own meal as he sips at the broth.

Over the next couple days, they remain at the camp, and Kratos is recovering well, doing very well in every sense. He's up and around, the fever is gone, and though he still tires just a bit faster than usual, he's mostly recovered, and has even resumed guarding the campsite as well as training with Krys in the mornings, another way to get his strength back. They're currently rolling up their bedrolls and packing their bags, Kratos feels he's well enough to make it to Triet, so they plan to head out after they eat breakfast. Krys makes some rice balls and sandwiches, she and Kratos just have some tea while Colette and Rain eat, and then they gather their stuff and head for the town in the distance. Colette begins to sing a bit as they walk, and both mercenaries listen along as they walk, keeping guard for creatures as well.

It ends up taking a couple more full days of walking, but they soon reach the little desert town. Kratos accompanies the chosen as she decides to explore the town, leaving his older armor and sword with Tina so she can see if she can either buy or customize new ones for both of them to use. She finds the little booth in the market, in between an armor shop and a weapons dealer, and she customizes both of them some much stronger armor plus a sturdier sword for them both as well. She also decides to customize herself a new bow to go with it as well, and some stronger arrows for her quiver. When she finishes, she starts wandering around town a bit, killing some of the time until they have to meet up in the town square in front of the inn, planning to rest for the night and then continue on their journey.

* * *

**Well I hope you liked it, I wanted to be sure it was better than before. Review and tell me what you think, please? :)**

**Sani.**


	4. Out of the Frying Pan & Into the Fire

**Hello again! Here is the next awaited chapter. It's a little shorter than the last one, but I think just as good. :) Hope you all like it. Thanks again for the reviews, I really enjoy seeing what others think of my writing. :)**

"Blah" - Talking

'Blah' - Thinking

**Disclaimer:** Same as before, don't own Symphonia or its characters, just my plots, story and original characters.

* * *

Krystina looks around the village, and then up at the sky, mentally trying to gauge what time it is. She's on her way to meet up with Kratos and the others a bit later on by the Inn, when a very out of breath Genis suddenly comes running up to them, Noishe on his heels.

"Genis? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" Raine asks, clearly worried that Genis would be here instead of in Iselia where she had left him. They'd all seen the reward posters for Lloyd while wandering around town, and have been hoping he's alright. Genis bends over, hands set on his knees as he tries to catch his breath after running, Noishe is whining beside him.

"L-Lloyd, captured... by Desians! We have to help him!" Raine hands her brother a fresh apple gel while he catches his breath, and Krys notices the way Kratos is frowning, she isn't very happy either.

'_Yuan you idiot, I warned you not to go after him.' _She sighs a bit, making a mental note to kick Yuan's ass later, and then she turns to look at Genis, saying softly but sternly,

"Do you know where they took him?" and the young mage nods. Kratos says,

"Lead us there." Genis nods, and Krys asks Kratos softly.

"You sure you're well enough now?" and he nods, giving her a look that tells her nothing will stop him from getting Lloyd back. She nods too, and gives him the weapons and armor she'd picked up, and they head out of the town gates. After a few moments, Kratos asks Noishe to let Genis ride on his back since he's so tired from the running to get back here. It takes a few hours to reach the base, directed by Genis, but Tina has to act like she has never been here before, so she makes sure she's very careful not to let anything slip. Kratos finds them a way in, at the rear of the building, and they slip inside. They're careful to avoid as many renegades as they can, or Desians as the others believe them to be. The end up making their way right down to Yuan's big head office, where they hear Lloyd confronting someone. Krys smirks to herself when she hears a rather unamused

"And just who the hell are you?" coming from Yuan, silently thankful Kratos is distracted by keeping anyone from ambushing them from behind. She knows that Lloyd is just like Kratos is and won't tolerate being spoken to like that. When they get in, Yuan has left, and Botta remains with his sword. Krys avoids his eyes, not wanting to give anything away. Raine stays back to cast her healing artes, Colette stays with her, while Kratos, Tina, Lloyd and Genis take on Botta and of course the two foot soldiers.

Botta ends up yielding up to them, running from the room and leaving his broken sword on the ground when he flees. The professor picks up the broken sword and they leave the base, returning to the inn back in Triet after Raine checks Lloyd over for injuries, Kratos watching both of them. Krys had already reserved all of their rooms at the inn beforehand to avoid conflict. She rooms with the chosen, while Genis and Raine share, and Kratos and Lloyd share the last room.

Lloyd comes in later on, chatting a little with Colette and Tina, before going back out to give the professor her key crest he had finished so that she can equip the exsphere from Botta's sword. She also hears Kratos leave his room, and then the sound of someone, else too, probably Lloyd, following him. She slips over to the window, discreetly tuning in to their quiet conversation down by the pen where Noishe is. When they go back inside, she returns to her bed, laying down and attempting to get a little sleep.

They decide to spend the next couple of days just resting, and exploring the little resort town. Raine goes out shopping to make sure they have enough of their necessary supplies, and takes Collete with her, Kratos wanders off somewhere alone too, while Krys brings Lloyd over to the customizer to upgrade his weapons and armor as she had done for herself and Kratos. The rest of the last day is spent inside the cool rooms of the inn as they catch up on some extra sleep to be well prepared for heading to the seal.

* * *

On the last night in Triet, while everyone is asleep Krys slips out of the inn, making quiet progress out of the town and across the desert to Yuan's base, where he's waiting for her hidden in the shadows. He pulls her tightly against him, claiming her lips in a searing, passionate kiss as she wraps her arms around his shoulders, returning it just as fiercely. When it breaks, he nuzzles into her neck.

"I missed you so badly it was driving me crazy, even Botta noticed it." He whispers, and she smirks a bit, lowering her arms now to encircle his waist, hugging him close. His hand moves to the back of her neck as he claims her lips again, never wanting to let her go, and she can also feel his relief that Mithos' attempt to poison her had failed, she knows he wouldn't be able to get through losing a second love, as losing Martel had nearly killed him. They retreat inside the base, retiring to their room quietly so the rest of the base is unaware of the soft voices in the room.

"I don't think he remembers me.." Krys says sadly, having just told Yuan about Kratos as he's on the journey with her. Yuan frowns, hugging her close as she pulls up the blankets around them and nuzzles into his chest,

"Give it time." He says softly, and she nods, laying her head on his chest as they both lay on the bed, a blanket wrapped around them, closing her jade green eyes, as Yuan gently runs his fingers through her long hair. She relaxes, his touch soothing her, but she can't seem to stop her thoughts of the auburn haired Seraph, no matter how much she tries. She wants so much for the mercenary to remember her, to be her best friend again. She misses it so badly. Yuan too wishes for the old days sometimes, back when they were carefree and happy. He watches Krys lying on his chest, noticing a tear roll down her cheek, and realizing she must be unable to stop her many jumbled thoughts. He can see her conflict, he too wanted to tell Kratos that he had found her on that day, but so much was in the way of it. Kratos was happy and Yuan hadn't wanted to end up causing trouble. Despite their current differences, Yuan still sees Kratos as one of his closest and most trusted friends. Krys sighs quietly, finally calming enough, that she manages to drift off into a light sleep. Yuan wraps his arm around her, letting his eyes close as well.

* * *

The next morning she slips back into her room at the inn before he even notices she was gone, he being Kratos. Krys packs all her stuff back up, and quickly places her sword holster back onto her belt. She also picks up her bow and quiver, and heads downstairs for a quick bite to eat before they leave. After eating, she finds Kratos is outside, sitting against the wall of the inn, and scratching Noishe behind the ears, talking to him very softly. She can tell he's thankful for Noishe staying with Lloyd for all these years, and she also knows how much he's missed the wily, spunky protozoan as well.

"Kratos?" she says softly, and he looks up, eyes sad. She frowns; she knows how glad he is to have his son back, so why would he be sad? He sighs a bit, and she goes over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder worriedly.

"What's wrong?" she asks softly, but he just shakes his head, so she doesn't push at him. In a reassuring gesture, she wraps an arm around his shoulders, as they sit beside Noishe's pen. She sighs, she wants to just hug him close like she used to, hating to see him look so sad, but at the same time, she doesn't want to upset him further. So, she settles for just being there for him as well as she can. Kratos sighs at himself, resting his head on her shoulder, not sure why it feels so natural to be close to the quiet female mercenary this way.

"Are the others eating?" he asks, and she nods. He sighs again, staring out at the sky, as they wait for the others. When Lloyd and the others come out of the inn they head out for Triet's ruins a ways out in the desert. Krys and Kratos walk behind the group as they cross the desert in a close group. Both mercenaries have their eyes on the sands, keeping aware for anything out of the ordinary. Colette and the Professor are talking quietly about something to do with the Oracle, and Lloyd and Genis are discussing exspheres. When they break for lunch a few hours later, they sit down and Genis makes some sandwiches and rice balls. Lloyd eats quite a few, and then lazily stretches out on the ground, a cloak over his face to block the sun. Genis smirks to himself, hand on his kendama, as he sneaks up behind his best friend, casting a quiet 'Aqua Edge' and dousing Lloyd. The red clad teen shouts and he jumps up, starting to chase the smaller mage around the area, everyone else laughing. Except the mercenaries, who just smirk at their antics.

"Alright everyone, let's get moving. We still have a good ways to go." The Professor says a bit later, as she gets up from where she'd been sitting with a book open on her lap. She tucks the book into her bag as everyone else gets up off the ground. Weapons and packs are put back on, and the group continues toward the dark ruins in the distance.

"Man it's so hot!" Lloyd whines for the fourth time later that afternoon. Kratos sighs, and Krys shoots him a slight smirk. Lloyd yawns and stretches, gazing around the desert tiredly as the group keeps walking, considerably slower now due to the intense heat. Krys unhooks her canteen from her belt, handing it to Lloyd, who gives her a grateful look and brings it to his mouth, taking a long drink. Krys nods a bit, watching him from the corner of her eye as they walk, noting how a fine sheen of sweat coats his brow, same as her and Kratos, but he isn't sweating as much as the others are, which makes her think again about the possibility of him inheriting his father's angelic blood. She shrugs it off as they're soon ambushed once again by sidewinders and more than four poison needles, she manages to spot the fifth one behind Kratos, nailing it swiftly with an arrow's deadly point, the shaft quivering slightly as it embeds the creature against the ground.

Kratos glances at her over his shoulder, nodding a bit, and she nods as well, returning all focus to the battle. When the last creature has been dispatched, they continue onwards, passing around a canteen as they continue their desert trek. Unfortunately, both Colette and Genis begin to look a bit dizzy a short while later, so Krys says, seeing that it's now getting dark,

"We'll camp here tonight. The chosen and young Genis look heat exhausted." Kratos lets a sigh escape his lips, but nods, heading off to patrol their campsite as Krys and Lloyd set up the tents, and Raine checks on her brother and Colette. Krys uses her bow to take down a boar she sees a bit a ways from the camp, skinning it, then bringing it back and making a stew with it and some vegetables from Genis' pack, since Raine has him and Colette resting. Kratos returns from patrol a bit later, and Krys serves out the stew, all of them chatting a bit as they eat around their campfire.

After the meal, Krys picks up her weapons, and with a nod at Kratos heads off to do her part of the patrolling for the night, smiling a little when she finds Noishe walking beside her. The protozoan nudges her arm happily, and she reaches down, scratching behind his ears. He whines and nuzzled her hand, making her smile as they walk, Krys keeping her senses up for any sign of danger to the Chosen or any of their group.

Later that night when she returns, she finds Kratos laying on his back with his arms over his head, hands under it, and staring up at the sky, looking lost in thought, though he does look over when she approaches, nodding slightly. She nods as well and sits down, poking at the fire a bit, resting her chin on her arm which is resting on her knees, laying her weapons down onto the ground beside her. She sighs some, gazing into the flames and letting her mind wander, back to past memories of times spent with old friends.

* * *

_***Flashback***_

_Krys and Martel laugh from where they're sitting on a blanket, watching Kratos and Yuan playing hide and seek with Mithos out of boredom. They've been friends and traveling together a few years now, and since Mithos is still fairly young, eleven right now, sometimes he's bored rather easily, so they came up with this as a way to distract him on one of their rest stops. Krys laughs, turning around the fish they have cooking at the fire so the other side can cook too, watching as Mithos happily runs away from Kratos and to the 'safe tree'. Yuan laughs too, soon appearing out of his hiding spot and letting Mithos chase him to the tree as well. _

"_They get along so well." Martel says, and Krys smiles and nods, then says,_

"_You seem to have taken quite well to Yuan." And she raises a playful eyebrow as Martel blushes and hides in her hands._

"_Well, what have we here?" she says, and Martel giggles,_

"_Kryyyys!" she whines playfully, and both girls laugh. Krys then says softly,_

"_You should tell him, he likes you too. I've often seen him watching you when he thinks you aren't looking." And Martel looks up at her, green eyes wide._

"_Really?" she asks, and Krys smiles at the hope in her friend's voice. She nods and smiles at her._

"_Definitely." And Martel nods too, turning back to watch their three friends. Well three for Krys, two and her brother for her. She also smiles when she sees Krys watching Kratos, and she's also aware of how the auburn haired man tends to watch Krys as well when he thinks no one can catch him doing it. _

_When the fish is ready they call the three back, talking and laughing as they settle down to eat, discussing their journey and the current war going on as well, and their journey around so Mithos can make Pacts with the Summon Spirits, due to his gift as a Summoner. They're on their way to the Triet desert right now to make a pact with Efreet, and are on the edge of the desert's sandy border. They head to bed a while later, Kratos keeping watch, and the next morning, they head into the desert, beginning their way to Triet. Krys smiles to herself when she sees Yuan and Martel walking together and talking, seemingly deep into their conversation, then when Yuan lets himself reach out a bit and clasp her hand, Martel glances back at Krys with a smile, and nodding at her, Krys gives her a discreet thumbs up. _

"_Kratos, can we train more tonight?" Mithos asks, and the auburn haired mercenary nods at the young blond with a bit of a smile, and Krys chuckles, knowing how eager the boy is lately to learn. Kratos is teaching him in the way of the sword, and Yuan has been teaching him Magic artes, Krys sometimes does as well. _

_Krys shields her eyes against the sun as they walk later that afternoon, the heat is more unbearable than before, and they're beginning to get weary. Suddenly shrieks of surprise sound out, and Mithos cackles happily, darting out of a soggy Yuan and Martel's reach, having just used his Spread spell to totally douse them both. Kratos and Krys both laugh, casually stepping out of the way, both smirking as Mithos tries to hide behind them, and he squeaks, darting off again as Yuan gives playful chase, Martel though just laughs, wringing out her long green hair. When the two get tired and soon return, Yuan wrings out his cobalt blue hair, grouching playfully at Mithos as they set up camp under a tree for the night, Mithos bouncing around happily, excited and all eager to make the pact with Efreet and become an official Summoner. Once camp is set up, Krys heads off to patrol first, glancing at Kratos as she heads by, but misses him watching her walk by as well, a light smile on his lips. _

_After a few more days of traveling, they finally reach the town of Triet, heading into the plaza and looking around, getting a feel for the desert town. They also hear word of an Oasis too a distance away, that also has a smaller settlement around it as well. Yuan, Martel and Mithos go to the Inn to get rooms, and Kratos and Yuan go to check out the Market, wanting to either have their weapons replaced for better ones, or have upgrades customized instead, Martel and Yuan's weapons, (her staff and his Swallow) are with them too, Martel asked her staff to be customized, and Yuan requested his Swallow just cleaned up and sharpened, since he's happy with it the way it is. They stock up on other supplies too, gels, bottles they may need and food as well, and they head to the Inn when they're done, meeting up with the others. _

_They end up spending a few days in Triet before heading to the temple, learning about the area, the temple, and old tales the townspeople know about Efreet. Mithos also takes more training in as well, learning a couple new sword artes and a spell as well. They want to be sure Mithos is ready before they head to the temple, since making the pact is a big thing for him, he wants to make sure he gets everything right. They've heard him practicing his vow sometimes in his room at night, wanting it to be perfect. _

"_Nervous?" Martel asks the night before they leave, they've just found Mithos laying out on the porch of the Inn, gazing up at the sky. He sits up, nodding a bit,_

"_Will I really do okay?" he asks, and Martel nods, sitting beside him._

"_Of course you will, Mithos. We all know it." And he nods, laying his head down on her shoulder. Yuan settles on her other side, and Krys finds herself leaning against Kratos' side, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her as they all watch the stars, talking softly about the pact and reassuring Mithos._

_***End Flashback***_

* * *

"Old memories?" Kratos says softly, startling Krys, and she looks over, nodding.

"Yeah, just remembering some old journeys with old friends. It's kind of nice traveling in a group again." And Kratos gazes out at the stars again, but says softly,

"Yeah, I suppose it is. I have old memories of travels as well." Krys nods, and soon they go silent again, deciding to bed down for the night, glancing around the campsite once more, to make sure everything is still okay and in order.

The next morning while Genis makes breakfast, the others pack up the sleeping rolls and gear, making sure everything is set, and then they sit down to eat when he calls them. Afterward they continue walking, now able to see the ruins more clearly as they've gotten much closer, the tall, dark structures silhouetted against the sky.

After several more hours, they reach the dark ruins, and Noishe promptly runs off, as per usual. Lloyd sighs, saying he's tired, but then a couple of Fire Elements spring an attack, right as Kratos informs the entire group there are monsters nearby, and they are all able to deal with the spherical fire casters fairly well, even though they're hot and tired from traveling.

"This is going to be a nuisance." Kratos mutters and Krys hides a smirk. He then teaches the Chosen and her friends protective spells, Genis and Rain learn 'Force Field', Colette learns to do 'Damage Guard', and Lloyd learns 'Guardian' which both mercenaries already use. Lloyd soon gets a fire going as Raine and Colette lay out bedrolls, making camp near a pillared piece of ruin wall, toward the side of the whole area for the night. Krys and Kratos set down their packs, Krys settling down on her bedroll, while Kratos heads off to patrol for a while. Krys gets up after a bit, deciding to wander around, feeling restless, and also because old memories are surfacing around again. When she looks at different parts of the ruins, she remembers different things, where they had visited the Inn, where they'd browsed the Market and talked to townspeople when this was a bustling town. She also finds herself feeling sad for all of the innocent people who lost their lives here when Efreet went berserk upon discovering Mithos had broken his vow, upsetting the Spirit greatly. She finds Kratos leaning against a column, and she notices his expression, and she finds herself wondering if he's remembering the same things she is.

"Hey, you alright?" she asks when she hears him sigh sadly, and he startles a bit, turning to look at her.

"Just… thinking." He says, and she nods, settling down beside him. He adjusts himself a bit, getting comfortable again, which also causes their sides to touch, though neither of them get up, or make any attempt to move.

"Does Lloyd hate me?" Kratos asks suddenly, his voice soft and sad, and Krys looks up at him, frowning a bit.

"Why would you think that?" she asks, and Kratos sighs, saying,

"He always seems so angry with me. He doesn't even know what I am, and yet it feels as if he hates me." He sighs sadly again, dropping his head down, resting it against his hands. Krys frowns worriedly, wrapping an arm around him and rubbing his side a bit, trying to reassure him a bit.

"Give him some time, I'm sure he'll come around, alright?" and Kratos nods a bit, resting his head now on her shoulder, feeling strangely comforted by her, once again, same as the night she talked to him at Anna's grave. When they head back later, they find Lloyd and Colette are off to the side, talking, while Raine is reading and Genis is messing with his kendama. Kratos settles down on his bedroll, closing his eyes, and Krys pulls out a book, starting to read some as well. As they relax, they can hear Lloyd reassuring Colette about the seal tomorrow. Once everyone drops off to sleep later on, Krys and Kratos move beside the fire, talking softly as they keep watch.

The next morning, Lloyd reassures Colette again over breakfast, while both mercenaries are talking with Raine about possible creatures they might encounter within the temple. They get the packing finished, and head over to the entrance of the temple, where they see a raised stone column about three feet high, beside a large black door in the ground, covered in strange, rather old markings, some of which are worn or rubbed off. They move closer to the altar, and then the Professor suddenly goes 'ruin crazy' and is all over the door sealing the entrance that leads to the seal temple. Kratos and Krys both find themselves stepping back slightly, while Colette's oblivious to it, and Lloyd looks confused. Genis sighs and face palms, though doesn't seem to notice Kratos and Krys both look slightly disturbed at his sister's 'excitement'. Lloyd and Kratos ask Genis,

"Is she always like this?" and the young mage sighs resignedly,

"I tried so hard to hide it too.." he mumbles sadly. Kratos and Krys shake their heads, as Raine then directs Colette to place her hand on the oracle stone she spotted, after finally calming down some, and the heavy door slowly slides open with a loud, grating sound. The group makes sure the area is still clear, and then they head inside the chamber.

"It's _SOOO_ hot in here!" Lloyd declares after walking down hallways in the temple after a few minutes, and Colette, Raine and Genis agree with him. As they walk they notice the artworks depicted on the stone walls, pictures of angels and the goddess Martel, and a blond angel, with a pair of large, pale wings pictured near her, which they assume to be the Hero, Mithos. Rain grabs a notebook, rushing right over to one of the large murals and starting to take notes, while talking rapidly to herself.

"Here we go again." Genis groans to himself, going over and halfheartedly tugging on his sister's arm to get her to start moving, which she does reluctantly, though she remains riveted to the drawings more than anything else.

"How about we call that her 'Ruin Mode', you think?" Lloyd suggests, watching his crazed teacher scribble frantically on her notebook, well perhaps temporarily crazed. When Raine comes out of her daze, they continue down the hallways until the end, where they see it forks into paths ahead, one heading each direction, with a door right in front of them. They take a moment to get their bearings and also to deal with a strange, floating fish type enemy that ambushes them, and then go through the door. Inside they find themselves in a huge room, and they see another pair of doors, one at each end, which must be where the forked hallways lead to.

"This place is huge, Sis." Genis says, and Raine nods.

"Yeah, it was a temple built to honor Efreet." She says, and Genis nods, looking around curiously, while Lloyd goes poking around himself, examining things. They soon leave the room's sweltering heat and head down the hall to the farthest door, entering another, larger part of this same room. Lloyd again goes poking around, and then starts shooting the sorcerer's ring at some wall sconces, and when he lights one of the candles, a platform suddenly starts to move, startling everyone except Kratos and Krys. Lloyd jumps, and then grins,

"Now we're getting somewhere!" he says, and Krys hides a smirk as Kratos groans softly and face palms, shaking his head. Raine shakes her head a bit in amusement, and they find more of the sconces, checking out where they are in relation to platforms, and then using all the doors into the room to get to each part, manage to lift the platforms in the proper order after a little of trial and error. They take a break to drink some water and catch their breaths from the continual running around, and then they head for the main door and up the stairs, opening a few chests on their way to the central warp panel. Lloyd takes a moment to reassure Colette once more, giving her a hug, then they vanish through the warp, Raine, Genis and the Mercenaries following.

"There's… So much Mana here!" Genis gasps when they arrive in the central altar section and approach the main altar. Fiery hot mana swirls around and then explodes, out from the altar, making everyone jump back, drawing their weapons as three creatures are revealed. One is huge while the other two are much smaller, but still large enough. Raine checks a book quickly, looking at the creature, and then she says,

"That's a Ktugach, and they're Ktugachlings!" Everyone nods, Kratos and Krys study all the creature's movements, watching how it watches them, moves, and how the two younglings it has move as well. Lloyd and Kratos take the frontlines, while Krys stands back with her bow, and sword if needed to guard the healer and spell caster, Colette has her chakrams ready as well. His eyes on one of the smaller creatures, Genis casts a water spell, which has no effect, and yelling a bit over his shoulder, Kratos says,

"Ice spells!" and Genis nods, starting to cast 'Icicle', a large pale blue spell circle glows on the ground beneath his feet. Krys guards the young mage, protecting him as he casts, Raine's eyes are on the fighters as well, watching for any healing that needs to be done. Krys lets several arrows loose as one of the Ktugachlings turns and heads for Genis, effectively stopping it as four of the arrows land right in front of its nose. It lifts its head and snarls, shivering angrily a bit, and then it roars in rage, advancing. Krys narrows her eyes, doing a quick mental check of all ice and water artes she knows, and she readies another arrow.

"You're mine! _Blizzard Fury!_" she yells and as she fires the arrow, a cold mist envelops it and the surrounding area, and they can hear as numerous tiny shards of ice rain down, nailing the creature directly from each side, the cold mist and the ice shards creating an effect of several diamond shards with a rainbow glow, due to the close proximity of the creatures' fiery mana near the icy cold of her own.

_'Impossible! That was one of her spells!_' Kratos realizes as he glances over his shoulder, garnet eyes widening a bit when he sees the arte. Only his old friend Krystina had ever used that exact arte, he was positive, so where did this woman learn it? Shaking his head, he returns his focus to the larger of the three creatures, and calls to Lloyd.

"We're going to use a unison arte, go with your Sonic Thrust!" Lloyd nods to show that he heard, and the two men charge the creature, activating their Sonic Thrusts, and the others all gasp as the Unison ability takes effect, and the two men proceed to activate Cross Thrust as they charge the creature, landing a direct, deadly blow. The two smaller creatures howl in fury, but as they're blinded with rage at losing their 'parent', it makes their fighting less productive, and Lloyd and Kratos finish them off as well. Krys puts away her bow, panting slightly with her exertion, as both Lloyd and Kratos are as well. They gather near the altar, where Colette steps up to pray and release the seal, while Krys helps Raine quickly heal herself, Lloyd and Kratos of any wounds, and Raine checks Genis over as well.

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of this earth, grant me thy strength!" Colette prays, and as they watch, Remiel appears, praising Colette for releasing the seal, and her body raises into the air a bit, brilliant pale pink wings bursting from her back as Remiel grants the strength of the Angels to her in part. Krys also notices another 'discreet' glare sent her way as he ascends back up to the light he appeared from and vanishes. They discuss a few things before heading from the overly hot temple, making their way back outside, where unfortunately Colette collapses.

"Colette!" Lloyd says worriedly, and they decide to let her rest and make camp, picking up Colette gently, Lloyd lays her on her sleeping roll once Krys spreads it out, and then Raine lets her mana gently wash over the chosen, checking her for any injuries, but finds none, and says,

"She's likely just weak from releasing the seal." And everyone nods. Genis makes some sandwiches for everyone, and Kratos and Krys sit off to the side, talking softly as they guard their campsite. Lloyd eventually talks to Colette off to the side once she feels better, showing just how much he cares about her. Krys smiles slightly, saying to Kratos softly,

"Your son seems to be quite smitten." And Kratos nods a bit, smiling slightly as well.

"He certainly does, doesn't he?" and Krys nods, putting a hand on top of his when they lean back, her noticing his slightly saddened gaze as he watches the two teens, knowing that he's wishing he could have watched his son grow up. She gives his hand a squeeze, and he gives hers one in return, silently thanking her for the reassurance, and then soon gets up to begin their patrol, which they've set into a routine of doing in turns.

They end up camping there for a couple of days, wanting to make sure Colette is fully recovered before heading out again, discussing which seal they should head for next. Raine holds out a small book, where everyone sees she had written down the clues to locations that Remiel had given them at the last seal before he had left, and they're currently debating those clues, the group of them talking together as Krys makes some omelets for breakfast. Right now they're still deciding on whether they should take the water route and head to Palmacosta first, or take their alternate, a land shelf route Krys told them about that would lead them to Luin first. Kratos, Krys and Raine are the main debaters, Raine vouching for the land route while Kratos says the water's shorter route would be better. Krys sighs to herself, listening to them as she cooks, she knows of both routes, and so finds herself rather indifferent, willing to go by either.

"How about we head to Izoold for now and decide from there? It's on the way to both of the possible routes to take." Krys suggests, and Kratos and Raine finally nod, deciding to let it go for now, and the group settles down to eat when Krys calls them over, handing out the meal. After they finish, they pack up the campsite, Noishe again is with them and he happily trots along beside them as they walk, currently beside Krys, who's scratching behind one of his large ears as she listens to Kratos and Lloyd talking, it sounds like they plan to start training together as they travel, Lloyd wanting to hone his skills better. She smiles some, glad Kratos is finding ways he can spend with the boy, knowing he would like to establish a bond with his son, but he does not yet want Lloyd to know of their relation, from what she can see he's afraid Lloyd would just push him away and hate him if he knew, and she knows how painful that would be for the mercenary.

They spend the next several days traveling in the direction of the mountain trail that will lead to the small port town, their minds on which seal they might be doing next. Lloyd has started training with Kratos, and some of the time Krys joins them as well, and other times Lloyd watches as she and Kratos spar, loving to watch their intense matches. They hadn't realized he was trying to learn from them until a day when he pulled one of Krys' defense moves on Kratos, shocking him with it, which made Krys lift a hand to her mouth to stifle giggles at her fellow mercenary's expression at the time. She, Lloyd and Noishe also made a small habit of teasing him about it, which he amusedly groans about and face palms as they laugh, and Noishe whines happily. Everything is going smoothly as they travel toward Izoold, even Kratos lightening up some as the group tries to stay as carefree and happy as the situation allows them to.

* * *

**Well there it is folks, please review and tell me what you think of it, they motivate me. :)**

**Sani.**


	5. Assassins and Apprehensions

**Well here we go. I apologize for this chapter taking a while, but I was not happy with the first drafts so I spent some time rewriting several parts of it. Things are getting a little tense between the mercenaries, and the next seal approaches. I hope this chapter is as good as the others. Please review and tell me what you think! :)**

"Blah" - Talking

'Blah' - Thinking

**Disclaimer:** Same as always, don't own. Though Kratos and Yuan.. I wish I did! LOL :P

* * *

The sound of swords clashing rings through the air and at the campsite, Krys' green eyes slowly open to the sound. It's far enough away the others didn't hear it, but because of her angel hearing, the sound was loud and clear. She sits up and scans the area, seeing that the only ones missing are Kratos and Lloyd. They're currently at the base of the steep Ossa Trail, which is how they're going to cross the mountains to get to Izoold, now that they have finally finished crossing the desert. She sits up, stoking up the fire so that it will be hot enough for Genis to cook them all breakfast when he wakes up, and she picks up her bow, quiver and sword, heading over to Lloyd and Kratos' practice area. She smiles, sitting on the grass to watch them a bit, stifling her giggles when Lloyd pulls yet another one of her defensive moves on Kratos, startling the mercenary from his attack, actually causing him to miss and overstep.

"Nice move, Lloyd!" Krys calls and he grins, while Kratos groans and face palms, standing up and straightening out, sheathing his sword.

"Please don't encourage him." He says, and she giggles as Lloyd's mouth drops open, his eyes wide.

"Not fair!" he declares and Kratos actually smirks a bit. Krys soon stands up, picking both her bow and quiver up. She slings the quiver over her shoulder, and draws and arrow, setting the shaft against the bow and drawing it. She gazes around, deciding on a target of a branch several yards away and closes her eyes a moment. She knows Lloyd is watching, so she makes to let the arrow go at the branch, and then suddenly turns, loosing it at Kratos instead. Lloyd's gasps as his eyes widen, but Kratos was expecting it, and he deflects the arrow effortlessly.

"You see there Lloyd; you must be prepared for anything. Attacks of any type can come toward you from any direction, so you must pay attention to ALL your surroundings!" Lloyd drops onto the ground, nodding.

"Alright, I'll be more careful." And both mercenaries nod. Lloyd soon gets up and they go on training, helping Lloyd get used to deflecting random attacks from any direction using both his blades and the Guardian arte he learned from Kratos back in the ruins. Krys soon starts using her archery artes too, so that Lloyd can learn to defend against them as well, as many of the Desians are also archers. Especially the Desians in the Asgard and Palmacosta regions Krys remembers as she had faced a few along with Yuan. After they train a bit, they head back to camp, where they find Genis stirring a pot of soup over the fire, while Colette and Raine are studying Angelic by the other side of the fire. Krys sits down while Kratos goes off to patrol for a bit while the breakfast is cooking. Krys begins going through the supply packs, doing a quick inventory of gels and items in them, seeing what they'll need when they get to Izoold. She makes a mental note herself, and as she does she also makes a written list as well for the Professor. She finishes with the lists, and an unexpected repair of two of the gel bags as well, and she returns to her spot, lying back down on her sleeping roll, gazing up at the sky. She closes her eyes, and a bit later it seems to get quite a bit darker so she opens her eyes, smirking when she finds Kratos standing over her, gazing down at her with a slight smirk of his own.

"You're blocking my sun." she says simply and he smirks, dropping onto the grass beside her. She leans up so she's resting on her elbows.

"How are you getting along with Lloyd? You seem to be enjoying the sparring sessions all well enough." Kratos nods.

"It's nice, though… I'm still not… ready to tell him yet." She nods, reaching over and very gently resting a hand on his arm.

"It will come when the time is right." And Kratos nods, seeming to relax with her hand on his arm, which he still hasn't shrugged off. Genis soon calls everyone to eat, so they head over to the fire, taking their bowls when Genis hands them out, and sitting down to eat. Afterwards, they pack up everything, slipping on weapons and packs, and they head into the trail. As they head to where the path starts to incline, they notice a large area that's surrounded by cliffs, and they also see the set of trap doors set into the ground, with a red handled lever beside them.

"That must be the entrance to the Ossa Trail mines, be careful not to open them Colette, alright?" and the blond Chosen nods and smiles.

"I won't." she says. They start to move around the doors, unaware, that someone is now watching them from above. Suddenly a woman's voice calls,

"Is one of you the Chosen of Mana?" and everyone turns. Both mercenaries groan loudly and face palm as Colette smiles and waves.

"Yes, that's me, I'm the Chosen!" Lloyd groans too, muttering.

"You Dummy." As the woman jumps down, saying,

"Then prepare to die today!" and she jumps down to attack, but to her surprise, it places her in a precarious situation as Colette, being clumsy as she is, trips over the lever, which causes the doors to open, and the unfortunate woman goes straight down the shaft, to everyone's great surprise, and the mercenaries' slight amusement. Colette peers down the shaft, feeling badly, her pretty face set in a frown.

"I'm sorry, Miss Assassin!" she calls down the shaft, and both Kratos and Krys stifle silent snickers. Raine groans a bit, but she smirks as well a little, saying she doubts the woman is dead. They soon continue on the path, starting their climb up the trail. Colette, Lloyd and Genis are still talking about the woman as they walk, Raine has a book open and is checking something, and as they're all in their own worlds, the two mercenaries follow quietly. As they walk, Kratos finds that he is lost in thought again.

_'I'm starting to wonder if I am crazy. This woman, she is making me wonder now, much more than ever. I thought there was no chance, but now I do not no what to think. She seems to know artes that only Krystina would have known, some that Krystina developed herself, and as to my knowledge, she never shared her artes, so how this woman knows them I really wish I knew. Perhaps that it is time to pay Yuan a visit, maybe he knows who this woman really is. I also need to ask him if a clue or anything has been found yet on Krystina's whereabouts too. He swore that he would never stop looking, and I don't want to stop either, but the not knowing, and all of the 'what if?' ideas are driving me insane. _

_A big part of me still wants her back, as that part of me has never stopped loving her. Even with Anna, I never lost the love I felt for Krystina, way back when she was around. On the other side of things though, if she is truly gone for good, the pain would be too great to know such a most important person to me is forever lost. It was bad enough the first time, and even more so when I lost Anna and Lloyd. Finding him was a true miracle, my son is alive and well, and he's become quite a man, Anna would be so proud of him. Yet, I can't even bring myself to tell him that I am his father. I fear so much that he will hate me, and want nothing to do with me. I lost him once, and I cannot lose him again._

_I do believe I think too much. I am driving myself insane with all of these worries and thoughts that constantly run through my mind. Tina worries, I can see it in the way she looks at me, and when she asks me what is wrong, I find myself unable to tell her the truth. Would she hate me if I told her? Would she leave and that would be the end? Should I just go ahead and tell her what is bothering me? I don't know… there's just too much. I still say a talk with Yuan is in order, that man keeps too many secrets of his own, but he might know something about Krystina and about this Tina as well. I suppose sometime I will, but right now I have to focus on my mission, I have to ensure the Chosen stays safe. Then again… I really need some time off._

Krys looks over again as Kratos sighs, wondering what he might be thinking, because he looks troubled again. And as such, she has to shove him out of the way of an attacking bear that suddenly ambushes them. Kratos yelps as he lands unceremoniously on his rear, grumbling as he is startled from his thoughts as well, but he gets up, drawing his sword and joining the fight from the other side. Krys fires three arrows consecutively, driving the bear back from Genis as he casts an arte, fireball, which makes the bear yelp and stumble. Soon it's defeated, and Krys frowns.

"Kratos, are you alright? I've never seen you lose focus like that." The purple clad man is frowning, and he sighs, sheathing his sword.

"I apologize." He says, starting to walk again, and Krys frowns more. Something is wrong with Kratos, he let himself get too distracted there, which has never happened before. At the trail peak they take a break, settling under a large tree and relaxing while Genis makes lunch for their group. Kratos wanders across the peak, sitting down and leaning against the fence. Krys chews a bit on her lower lip, and then she gets up, going over and sitting beside him.

"Kratos?" she asks softly, putting a hand on his arm. He looks up at her, seeing the deep concern in her green eyes, and he sighs.

"What has you so troubled?" she asks gently, and his garnet eyes drop from her face, his hands resting on his knee.

"I… do not know. I feel so troubled, as you say, so many worries on my mind, yet, I find myself many times unable to stave them." She chews her lip.

"You have pain in your eyes. You must have been through so much." His eyes widen and he looks at her, surprised. How can she have known that? He works so hard to hide his emotions deep inside, yet she can see them in his eyes? He sighs, letting his head drop onto her shoulder's cloaked surface, closing his eyes. He still can't understand how he feels so comforted by her, how reassured he is by her presence. Krys glances over at the group, seeing how the large tree blocks the two of them from view pretty much, and she wraps an arm around Kratos, wondering what it is that troubles him so much. He leans into her, already beginning to relax with her touch, finding his mind beginning to ease as well.

"How do you do this? Make me feel so at ease?" Kratos suddenly asks and Krys frowns in confusion a bit, saying,

"I'm not sure really, I guess I have that effect on people." Kratos gazes at her a moment, and then rests his head back on her shoulder, which is letting him continue to relax. He knows he cannot afford any more distractions like earlier, Colette's safety is too important. He sighs, letting his garnet eyes slowly drifting closed, as his body continues to relax against hers, and Krys' mere presence is soothing him, though how he still doesn't know. When Genis calls them for lunch, she smiles a bit, giving his side a gentle rub, and then they get up, heading over to everyone. Colette smiles when she sees them, glad the purple clad mercenary seems to be feeling better. Though a bit clueless at times, Colette is actually very good at reading people, and like Krys she had known that something was bothering the mercenary. Both mercenaries sit down, taking the rice balls the young mage offers them, listening to Lloyd telling them about something as they eat lunch. After they finish, they help Lloyd set up the tents for the night. Colette, bothered by the heat and tired from the climbing, had requested they stop for the night.

* * *

Later that night, Krys smiles as she watches Kratos as he's telling the younger members of their group a story from his older mercenary days, making them laugh with details of his some what more comical mishaps of his youth on missions and with friends, not letting on that there is anything more to his stories. When they've finally fallen asleep, he and Krys sit by the fire, gazing at the stars and talking softly, getting to know each other a bit more. They even end up moving a bit away from the camp and sparring for a while, burning off some extra energy. Unfortunately the next morning they're woken by rain hitting the tents and Krys and Kratos peek out of the one they ended up sharing, having been too tired to set up both of their tents, asking if everyone else is okay. Heads poke out of the other tents, Lloyd and Genis in the tent right across from theirs on the left, and Raine and Colette are in the tent off to the right. Kratos retreats into the tent and he lies back down, while Krys hurries over to the other two to make sure everyone's okay. Genis and Lloyd give her some sandwiches Genis had just been making, and she nods and thanks him, their heads retreating into their tent. She takes some of the sandwiches to Raine and Colette and they thank her, taking them, and then she hurries back to her tent, heading inside and setting down a plate with the rest of the sandwiches. Kratos peeks out of his sleeping bag at her, and she smirks and flings her hair at him, showering him with water, and he yelps softly, yanking his head inside his sleeping bag again. She pulls a towel from her pack and dries off, and then slips into her own sleeping bag, changing inside of it, and then sitting up and pulling over the sandwiches. Prodding Kratos with her toe, she nods at the plate when he looks at her again. He nods and sits up, ruby eyes still tired looking as he pushes his hair out of his eyes, taking a sandwich.

"Today's going to be pretty quiet." She says, and he nods. After eating, she lays down on her bedroll, pulling out a book and starting to read, Kratos ends up reading as well, both keeping their senses alert for any danger to the camp. When the rain finally stops its late afternoon, their fire pit is drenched and can't be used. Snacking on some rice balls, they pack up the tents and all their stuff, strapping on packs and weapons, and continue down the other side of the trail, being careful since it's now slippery from the rain. By the time they reach the bottom on the other side, it's getting dark. They notice a large boarded up wall, and are about to walk past it when the wall itself bursts open, revealing the woman from before. She must have been in the mine all night as well as the day due to the rain. She narrows her eyes at them.

"Prepare to die!" she says, running at them with seal cards raised in the air, as she darts at them. She also summons a creature to fight with her, making it more difficult. Krys joins Genis and Colette against the guardian, and Kratos joins a frustrated Lloyd and the Professor in fighting the woman. Krys glances over her shoulder as Lloyd narrowly misses having a seal slapped on his forehead, and he uses a swift kick to push the woman back away from himself. Krys, Colette and Genis soon finish off the guardian, and join the battle now with the woman.

"Kratos, Lloyd, try Cross Thrust!" Krys calls to the two men and they nod, both activating their Sonic Thrust, which then leads into the unison attack. The woman cries out as it causes her to stumble and fall to one knee, and she growls in frustration.

"This isn't over! You haven't seen the last of me!" Kratos and Krys watch as she vanishes with a puff of smoke, shaking their heads as Lloyd says,

"How did she do that?" in awe. The air now smells of salt, and they can see Izoold as the town rests on the coast not far away. It only takes them about a half hour to reach the port town from the mountains, and both Krys and Kratos wrinkle their noses at the strong smell of fish. The Professor goes into the inn to register them for the night, and the others find their way around to the town's small market, stocking up on food items and gels, and then returning to the inn, as all are tired and cold. Inside they take turns using the inn's bathhouse, and then they settle down in their beds for the night, Krys and Kratos even sleeping this time after Raine does rounds of every one, making sure wounds are healed and people have eaten dinner.

The next morning they explore the little fishing village. Krys smiles as Colette again finds a dog near the gate, and gives it one of her names, scratching behind its ears. They also run into a girl named Lyla, who seems to only be able to talk of a man named Afried. Raine, still insistent they stay on land finally wins over, and once the rest of their supplies are restocked, they have a quick lunch, and then head out of Izoold, heading for Asgard.

* * *

A couple of night into the trip to Asgard, Krys heads off for her turn to patrol, Kratos just sitting down after returning from his. She slings her bow and quiver over her shoulder, grabs her sword and heads off in to the trees. She hasn't gone far, when arms grab her from behind, as an exceptionally warm and firm chest meets her back. She smiles, turning to face the person.

"Mm, missed you, Yue." She says, smiling as the cobalt blue haired man brings her closer and captures her lips hungrily. His green eyes twinkle when they part.

"I had to see you, I couldn't wait any longer." He says, nuzzling into her neck and letting a content sigh escape his lips. Krys smiles,

"I'm glad you came, I was getting close to taking off on the group one night to see you I missed you so much." Yuan smiles, pulling her onto his lap as they sit together on the grass, and settling down, Krys leaning into his chest with a smile. Yuan runs his fingers through her hair, his eyes closing as he rests back with her in his arms. Unknown to them, Kratos had slipped off from the group to send an update to Yggdrasill, and had heard talking with his angelic senses, and his eyes narrow a bit. He follows the sound, and his eyes widen when he sees Krys snuggled into the chest of none other than Yuan. He freezes, finding he is unable to tear his eyes away from them at all. As he watches, Krys snuggles close, and then she lifts her head, her lips finding Yuan's in a deep, slow kiss, and Kratos' garnet eyes widen, his chest clenching, which surprises him. The two are free to do as they want, but Kratos frowns, why does seeing her kiss Yuan hurt so much, he's not sure what the feeling in his chest is, only that it's painful. He watches them a bit more, as her arms go around his neck, threading through his cobalt blue hair as the kisses deepen now to very passionate. Kratos looks away, his garnet eyes stinging a bit, and soon he gets up, heading down to the campsite and laying on his bedroll, his back to everyone. Lloyd looks over, frowning at the mercenary's tense silence, he was fine when he left.

"I better get back." Krys says a while later, and Yuan sighs, but nods, pulling her in close for another slow, deep kiss. When it parts, Yuan kisses her forehead, and then warps away; Krys though notices the sadness in his green eyes as he does. She stands there a moment more, and then heads back to camp. When she gets there, Lloyd comes over, his brown eyes worried as he tells her Kratos is acting strange.

"He said he had to do something, so he left, but when he came back he was acting weird and all, like, he was all tense and he wouldn't look at anyone." Krys frowns.

"I'll talk to him after; you guys need to get some sleep." Lloyd nods, thanking her, and as he heads back to his bedroll, he glances at Kratos' back one more time. Krys lies down onto their bedroll, well the second one she and Kratos carry between them that she sometimes calls hers. It stays silent for a while, the others slowly drifting to sleep, and then Krys sits up, leaning over and putting a hand on Kratos' shoulder, but she's surprised when he jerks away from her touch.

"Kratos?" she asks softly, "what's wrong?" he sighs, turning to look at her, and she gasps when she sees how distressed he looks. He groans, trying to find the right words, and he says,

"I saw…" but trails off, and her eyes widen. She asks,

"Did you see… Yuan and I?" softly, and he nods, and then says,

"I don't understand why it's bothering me so much. He puts his head in his hands, a sigh escaping his lips as his shoulders just slump. She touches his shoulder again, and he lets her, this time he doesn't pull away. Krys hesitates, and then she asks,

"Kratos, do you feel something for me?" and his garnet eyes go wide with shock, and the mercenary's shoulders slump again. He groans, closing his eyes again in realization, and her eyes widen a bit.

"I suppose I must, if seeing you with him affects me this way." She chews her lip, saying softly,

"Are you sure of this?" and Kratos sighs,

"I don't know. I don't know what I'm feeling, and I don't know why I feel it. It should not bother me; I shouldn't feel anything for a colleague. I can't feel anything for you. I never want to get close to someone again. It causes too much pain to get close to someone." Kratos groans, an upset and distressed expression on his face. He then he sighs and he puts his head in his hands. Sighing, Krys gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, though she can't help a twinge of pain she feels at his words, either. She returns to her own bedroll, lying down with a sigh. Looking up, she watches as the clouds move over the starry sky, letting her thoughts wander.

_What do I do now? He still hasn't realized just who I am yet, but his old feelings seem to be returning. Martel and Mithos both told me before they thought he loved me, and I had started to think it too when I caught some of the looks in his eyes when he watched me. It's been so, so very long though since then, and I wasn't sure he'd still have those feelings, especially since he'd met Anna, fell in love with her and married her, and had Lloyd. I am both surprised, and also I'm happy he still has them. I am also confused, I love Yuan very much, but the feelings I had before for Kratos are still there, and likely always will be. I feel so confused and frustrated, and I see he is just as frustrated. I can understand how he would never want to get close to anyone again, as he finds it very painful, but I cannot help but feel hurt at his words. Also, this could now make for a much more difficult journey._

_ Things aside from that have been going pretty well though. The assassin on the trail was definitely a surprise, but the group functioned well together against her. Kratos and Lloyd's daily training sessions are interesting to watch as well. Not only are they forming a bond, but that son of his is surprising. Lloyd is much smarter than it seems, as he has quickly picked up several of my own techniques for defense and offense with the sword, and his tendency to pull them all on Kratos is remarkable. He's even caught him off guard more than once. It is amusing and also it's surprising, showing that with the proper training, Lloyd is capable of Kratos' skill level._

_ My other concern is how to go about talking to Lloyd. Sometime, I have to tell him that I too had watched over him as he grew up. I admit I am wary of doing so, as I do not want him to be angry with me. Also, would he even remember me from when he was so little? He always had such fun when he came to play in my room, and I still remember how he never told his parents of me. Devious little one he was. I adored him though, it was enjoyable to be around him, and as such I became very protective of him. I know I have to tell him, I just don't know when, or even how, as we're in the middle of this journey, and the most important thing on his mind right now is protecting that young chosen, Colette. What to do... this is just so frustrating. I know that now I have to, but the timing has to be right. Ugh, I'll worry about this later; right now I'm in danger of driving myself a bit too crazy. I think too much._

That night is fairly quiet. Krys and Kratos go about their patrolling without even speaking to each other. Both though, keep thinking about what happen and their words to each other. The next few days are like this as well, the two mercenaries remain much quieter than usual, and this seems to be affecting the rest of the group a bit. Kratos still trains with Lloyd, but the sessions all are much quieter. Lloyd tries to get him to talk, but is usually unsuccessful. They're currently just a day away from Asgard, and are setting up camp for the night. Krys heads out to patrol first, as Kratos helps get the tents set up. After, he and Lloyd spar near the camp, but far enough back in attempt not to damage anything. Krys glances over her shoulder at them, and then continues her course, smiling a bit as Noishe trots up beside her. She reaches down, scratching the soft fur that rests between his ears, and he whines happily, leaning into it. She sits down on a hill where their camp is still visible from, Noishe beside her, and she just rests there, gazing around, though all of her senses stay on high alert. She glances over at the battle, the slightest smile tugging her lips a bit, glad they're getting along so well.

"What should I do, Noishe?" she asks, lazily scratching his belly, as he had rolled over for it on the grass. He tilts his head, looking at her curiously and then giving a whine. He rolls back a bit, now on his stomach, and he lays his head on her knee. She smiles a bit, now scratching a bit behind his ears. She looks over to where Kratos and Lloyd are sparring, watching them. She pulls her hair gently out of the braid she had it in, letting the silky raven waves tumble down her back to brush the ground. She's always kept her hair long, braiding it for traveling and fighting. Letting a sigh escape her lips, she soon gets up, heading back to the campsite where she sits by the side of the fire, Noishe again laying beside her. Kratos glances over as Lloyd takes a breather and also a drink of water, wondering again at how much Noishe likes the female mercenary. He and Lloyd head back to camp, taking the bowls of stew Genis hands them. Kratos finishes his, and then lets a sigh out, getting up and handing the bowl to Krys, and then heading off to patrol. She watches him a moment, and then sets the bowl down beside her, she'll wash it with hers when she's done eating. She leans back by Noishe, watching Lloyd, Genis and Colette as they work on their lesson that Raine assigned them. Even on the journey she has them doing occasional lessons off and on throughout.

"Oww." Krys groans, sighing and turning onto her side. Her back has been aching quite a bit lately, and she knows it's because she needs to let her wings out. She hasn't released them in quite a while, as she can't reveal them in front of the Chosen and her group, but soon she'll have to go and let them out for a while. Idly scratching one of Noishe's ears, she finds herself thinking of Kratos, wondering if he releases his wings sometimes when he's on patrol, or if he hasn't done so and is how having back problems like she is. Krys groans, reaching up with one hand to rub at her back a bit, trying to ease the ache and tension there, while thinking that on the next patrol of hers she'll release them for a bit, if it's safe enough to.

'_Damn wings are damn pain in the ass._' She groans, and Noishe just whines in a way that sounds suspiciously like amusement. Krys raises an eyebrow at him, and he just looks at her with his head tilted slightly to the right side, almost as if he knows exactly what she's thinking of, and then he lays it on her knee, giving that amused whine again. She smirks, reaching down again to scratch behind his ear. Sure enough, when Kratos returns a bit later, she notices that he has one hand on his back, rubbing at tense muscles near the base of where his wings would be. Krys gets up, handing him a cup of tea from the pot resting over the coals, and then returning to her place nearby. Kratos nods his thanks and sips the tea, and soon they lie down, deciding to see if either of them can sleep any tonight.

The next morning after breakfast, they pack up and head off again, Asgard visible far off in the distance. As they walk, Kratos finds himself glancing at Krys every so often. Sighing, Kratos lets his thoughts wander a little, wondering if he should have gone off on her that way, and gone and said the things he did. He's been thinking about that a lot, and it bothers him, thinking about her and Yuan together, he tries not to think of it, but finds most of the time he can't help it. With a sigh he lets himself fall back a bit, taking over rear watch for a while. As Krys moves up toward the front of the group, he finds himself watching her.

'_I really need to get my head on straight here._' He sighs, shaking his head as if to clear it some, and picks up his pace slightly. He also notices Noishe watching him as he reaches up to let his hand rub at his back a bit, and if he didn't know better he'd swear the protozoan was amused with that looks, laughing at him even with the way he's watching him. Grumbling, he rubs a hand at his back a bit again and then lets it drop, continuing to walk, unaware that Krys too is thinking the exact thing he is about the soreness.

"There it is!" Colette says later on, it's now late afternoon and they're getting a lot closer to Asgard. Krys and Kratos both narrow their eyes a bit, even at this distance from the town, the two of them can both feel that something is off, their instincts telling them as much. They notice Raine has gotten her book out, checking something as they walk. Krys suddenly whirls around, a frown on her lips, and an arrow quivering in the ground a foot in front of Raine. Frowning, Raine looks up, and her eyes widen when she sees the three wolves approaching them quickly, and she nods at Krys, thanking the mercenary for stopping her from walking into danger. Krys nods, all of them drawing their weapons and meeting the wolves in battle. Krys fires several arrows, her eyes on a wolf heading for Genis, and it growls at the arrow that lands in the ground in front of it. The beast's eyes flash and it lunges, and Krys draws her sword quickly, the blade catching it deeply in the chest, forcing it to the side and onto the ground. She turns as Colette cries out to Kratos, the mercenary now battling both the other wolves with Lloyd's help. One wolf latches to Kratos' right arm, and a hard hit to its back from Lloyd knocks it loose. Krys casts a first aid on Kratos, as she noticed Raine is busy making sure Genis is alright. Once all three wolves are dead, Raine heals all who need it, and they take a break, drinking some water and catching their breath before going on to Asgard.

"Finally, we're here." Genis says later on as they arrive at the gates. He's tired from all of the walking and fighting from Izoold to here. Kratos and Krys both frown, noticing immediately it isn't right. The city is being buffeted by unusually strong winds, and almost no one is outside the town's shops, inns or homes. Making their way into town, they notice a large stone staircase that leads fairly high up toward the back so they head in that direction, finding the stairs lead to a big stone Dias. Raine immediately runs over, climbing onto the stone and basically going crazy over the old stone and its carvings. The others wander around a bit, Lloyd and Genis both groaning as Raine suddenly starts asking history questions about the Dias, which Colette answers happily. As they do, the mercenaries stay back, keeping an eye on the group quietly. Lloyd soon starts going off on his own, wandering around the side of the Dias, where he finds two teens and a box there between them. He regards them warily, not aware yet that they're part of something bigger, that will lead them out of Asgard before they even find the seal they're searching for. Lloyd sighs and walks out of his spot, approaching the two teens.

"Just what are you two up to?" he asks, making them both jump and turn, and both their eyes widen in surprise. Lloyd just crosses his arms, waiting for a response.

* * *

**Well there it is, I hope it was well worth the wait! Please review and tell me what you think! **

**-Sani.**


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